tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-135798372016-12-09T09:21:25.836-05:00SoxProspects NewsThe News Page of SoxProspects.com, the authoritative site for coverage of the Boston Red Sox minor league system.Ian Cundallnoreply@blogger.comBlogger5506125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13579837.post-12298625953187283052016-12-08T07:00:00.000-05:002016-12-08T07:00:10.379-05:00Trade Analysis: Scouting the prospects dealt for Tyler Thornburg<div style="text-align: justify;">It had been a quiet start to the offseason for the Red Sox, but the club made its first addition to the major league roster on Tuesday morning, acquiring right-handed reliever <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/t/thornty01.shtml" target="_blank"><b>Tyler Thornburg</b></a> from Milwaukee in exchange for corner infielder <b><a href="http://soxprospects.com/players/shaw-travis.htm" target="_blank">Travis Shaw</a>,</b> shortstop <b><a href="http://soxprospects.com/players/dubon-mauricio.htm" target="_blank">Mauricio Dubon</a> </b>and right-hander <a href="http://soxprospects.com/players/pennington-josh.htm" target="_blank"><b>Josh Pennington</b></a>. To acquire Thornburg to work the eighth inning in front of closer <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/k/kimbrcr01.shtml" target="_blank"><b>Craig Kimbrel</b></a>, the Red Sox gave up three solid depth pieces, but none of them have the type of upside that will likely come back to haunt the Red Sox in the long term. <br /><br />Red Sox president Dave Dombrowski had listed an eighth-inning reliever as a priority this offseason and he appears to have gotten his man, as Thornburg will slide in as one of the top pitchers in the Boston bullpen. Once a notable starting pitching prospect for the Brewers, rated as the 100th prospect in baseball by Baseball Prospectus before the 2013 season, Thornburg broke out in a big way in 2016. In 67 innings for Milwaukee, the 28-year-old Thornburg pitched to a 2.15 ERA with 90 strikeouts and 25 walks and was worth 2.0 fWAR. Adding to his value, Thornburg is arbitration-eligible for the first time this offseason and will not hit free agency until after the 2019 season. However, he does carry a bit of an injury history, suffering an elbow injury in 2014 that nearly led to Tommy John surgery, but he instead opted to receive a platelet-rich plasma injection, which helped him avoid going under the knife.<br /><br />-----</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /><b><a href="http://soxprospects.com/players/shaw-travis.htm" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Spring-Training/Red-Sox-ST-March-6-2016/i-TvmCQZF/0/L/20160306_2441-L.jpg" width="160" /></a></b><a href="http://soxprospects.com/players/shaw-travis.htm" target="_blank"><b>Travis Shaw</b></a>, who played in 145 games at third and first base for the Red Sox last season, headlines the package going to the Brewers and was reportedly the piece Milwaukee inquired about to get trade talks moving. Shaw's major league career got off to a great start, as he hit .270/.327/.487 in 65 games in 2015 and then slashed .292/.358/.508 in the first two months of 2016. However, Shaw slumped mightily from then on, hitting just .206/.270/.362 the rest of the way and losing his starting job in August. <br /><br />Shaw did not have a clear spot on the Red Sox roster going forward with the return of Pablo Sandoval, reliable presence of Brock Holt, and the potential emergence of top prospect Rafael Devers (and at the time the deal was announced, one would have added Yoan Moncada, who was moved later in the day to Chicago), but he will likely receive everyday playing time in Milwaukee at third base, shifting Jonathan Villar back to his more natural position of second base.<br /><br />-----<br /><br /><a href="http://soxprospects.com/players/dubon-mauricio.htm" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Portland-Sea-Dogs/Portland-Sea-Dogs-June-26-2016/i-pXZNKnF/0/L/20160626_7D_7673-L.jpg" width="160" /></a><a href="http://soxprospects.com/players/dubon-mauricio.htm" target="_blank"><b>Mauricio Dubon</b></a> is the most significant prospect heading to the Brewers in this deal, ranked ninth in the SoxProspects.com rankings at the time of the trade. He was named the SoxProspects.com Breakout Player of the Year after a season in which he slashed .323/.379/.461 between Salem and Portland. Though Dubon has shown a strong hit tool since entering the Red Sox organization, he showed improved power last season after his promotion to Portland, where he slugged .538 with 20 doubles, six triples, and six home runs. The Red Sox drafted Dubon in the 26th round in 2013, and should he reach the major leagues, he would be the first-ever Honduran native to do so.<br /><br /><a name='more'></a><br />Though Dubon does not have one particular tool that stands out, he is a sum-of-all-parts type of player with excellent makeup and strong work ethic who projects as a valuable super utility player with a chance to be a second division starter. Dubon was very skinny when he signed and is still listed at 6-foot-0, 160 pounds, but he has filled out since entering the organization. He is a solid athlete and has a tick above average speed. At the plate, he has a contact hitter’s profile, with quick hands and solid pitch recognition and bat control. He has a short swing, very direct to the ball, and solid bat speed. He rarely strikes out, but also does not walk that much, primarily looking to put the ball in play early in the count. This can get him in trouble at times, and when he is over-aggressive, he has the tendency to get himself out early in the count when going after a pitches he would be better served to lay off of.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/AVBmoeiN_wg/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/AVBmoeiN_wg?feature=player_embedded" width="560"></iframe></div><br />Though not the biggest player, Dubon has a knack for hard contact and gap power. I am not sure that the power surge he enjoyed with Portland—most of which came in a 30-game period from late July through late August, during which he hit half of his 46 extra-base-hits on the year, including five of his six home runs—will continue as he moves to the higher levels. But in a super-utility role, a lack of over-the-fence power is not much of an issue. He could run into a 10 or so home runs a year with plenty of doubles if given a full season’s worth of at-bats. <br /><span id="goog_951310116"></span><span id="goog_951310117"></span><br />Defensively, Dubon played only shortstop during the regular season with Salem and Portland despite having played a good amount of second base in the past and a bit of third base, but the Red Sox had him playing center field and second base during the Arizona Fall League in an attempt to get him more versatility. He has the speed and athleticism for both center field and second base, and he could be an above-average defender at the latter. At shortstop, he has a solid-average arm, enough for the position, but not something that stands out. He has shown range to both sides, fluid actions, and soft hands. He is not the type of defender that will stand out or consistently make plays that impress, but he could be a steady presence at short and hold down the position for a few months should he be required to. <br /><br />----- <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://soxprospects.com/players/pennington-josh.htm" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Lowell-Spinners/Lowell-Spinners-June-18-2016/i-cr9Ppv7/0/L/20160618_6654-L.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><a href="http://soxprospects.com/players/pennington-josh.htm" target="_blank"><b>Josh Pennington</b></a> fell to the Red Sox in the 29th round of the 2014 draft after injuring his elbow during his senior year of high school and eventually undergoing Tommy John surgery after being drafted. He pitched to a 0.82 ERA in 22 innings in the Gulf Coast League in 2015 and once again had strong results in Lowell in 2016, posting a 2.86 ERA with 49 strikeouts and 27 walks in 56 2/3 innings. After this season, Pennington underwent surgery to remove a bone spur in his throwing elbow. The 20-year-old Pennington was ranked as the 27th prospect in the Red Sox system.<br /><br />Pennington is an undersized right-hander, listed at only 6-feet, 175 pounds. He is a solid athlete, but does not have much remaining projection. He throws from an over-the-top arm slot with effort in his delivery. He has a short, quick arm action and his fastball works in the 94-98 mph range. The pitch is on the straight side and lacks plane due to his height, however, and as a result plays down and does not miss as many bats as you would expect given the velocity.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/mH4NIGMqB08/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/mH4NIGMqB08?feature=player_embedded" width="560"></iframe></div><br />His secondary pitches include a curveball and changeup with the former his primary out pitch. He throws his curveball 76-78 mph, directly over the top with 12-to-6 break. He has inconsistent feel for the pitch and does not always snap it off, but when he does it will flash tight rotation and sharp break. Some starts, it will flash above-average, but in others it will show below-average. Long-term, it projects as an average-to-better offering. His changeup is a work in progress and looks more like a sinking fastball he takes something off of He throws it 85-90 mph and does not have great feel for the pitch. <br /><br />Given his size, injury history and lack of a third pitch, Pennington looks destined for a bullpen role long term. Still only 20 years old and with plus-plus velocity and the makings of an at-least average curveball, he will likely be developed as a starter for the foreseeable future, however.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Photo credits: <span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Travis Shaw, Mauricio Dubon</span> and <span style="font-family: inherit;">Josh Pennington</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span>by <a href="http://sittingstill.smugmug.com/" target="_blank">Kelly O'Connor</a><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>Ian Cundall&nbsp;is&nbsp;Director of Scouting for SoxProspects.com. Follow him on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/IanCundall" target="_blank">@IanCundall</a>.</i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /><br /></div>Ian Cundallhttps://plus.google.com/114862263727483328373noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13579837.post-81048905547404045782016-12-07T17:00:00.000-05:002016-12-07T17:00:41.819-05:00Trade Analysis: Scouting the pitching prospects dealt for Chris Sale<div style="text-align: justify;">After acquiring right-handed reliever <b><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/t/thornty01.shtml" target="_blank">Tyler Thornburg</a></b> from the Milwaukee Brewers earlier in the day (look for a coming Trade Analysis on that deal), the Red Sox went out and made an even bigger move on Tuesday, acquiring left-handed pitcher <b><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/salech01.shtml" target="_blank">Chris Sale</a></b> for a package featuring four prospects, including the top prospect in the SoxProspects rankings in infielder <a href="http://soxprospects.com/players/moncada-yoan.htm" target="_blank"><b>Yoan Moncada</b></a>, right-hander <a href="http://soxprospects.com/players/kopech-michael.htm" target="_blank"><b>Michael Kopech</b></a>, outfielder <a href="http://soxprospects.com/players/basabe-alexander.htm" target="_blank"><b>Luis Alexander Basabe</b></a> and right-hander <a href="http://soxprospects.com/players/diaz-victor.htm" target="_blank"><b>Victor Diaz</b></a>. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Dave Dombrowski has shown since he first joined the organization that he is unafraid to deal top prospects if he thinks it can help the team win now. In acquiring Sale, the Red Sox added one of the best pitchers in all of baseball—who has had a lot of success against American League East opponents—on a very team friendly contract for the next three years, costing just $6.5 million against the competitive balance tax. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The cost to acquire Sale, however, was not as cheap. The Red Sox had to include three of the top 10 prospects in the system and four prospects who all have significant upside but come with risk. The depth the system had when Dombrowski took over is now gone and the cupboard has been picked thin—10 of the prospects in last October’s SoxProspects Top 20 have been traded in just over a year’s time. A few years down the line, this trade could look very different if a few of the prospects involved reach their potential, especially if one is Moncada. Still, the cost was easier to stomach given that the club was able to hold on to all of its young, established talent at the big league level, including <a href="http://soxprospects.com/players/benintendi-andrew.htm" target="_blank"><b>Andrew Benintendi</b></a>. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>This morning we posted <a href="http://news.soxprospects.com/2016/12/trade-anaylsis-scouting-hitting.html" target="_blank">Part One of our Trade Analysis that focused on the hitting prospects</a> in the deal. Part Two below will focus on the two pitching prospects in the deal.</i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">-----</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://soxprospects.com/players/kopech-michael.htm" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Lowell-Spinners/Lowell-Spinners-June-17-2016/i-pL7gfdJ/0/L/20160617_5107-L.jpg" width="160" /></a>In addition to Yoan Moncada, the other top five prospect from the Red Sox system heading to the White Sox is right-hander <b><a href="http://soxprospects.com/players/kopech-michael.htm" target="_blank">Michael Kopech</a></b>. Kopech’s 2016 was a season of extremes: After getting suspended for the second half of 2015 for his use of a diet supplement on the list of MLB's banned substances, the 2014 supplemental first-round pick broke his hand in an altercation with a teammate in spring training. When he finally did take the mound, though, he turned heads with his fastball. While the authenticity of his reported, mythical 105-mile-per-hour pitch may be debated through the ages, what cannot be questioned was his dominance from the rubber. In 52 innings for Salem, he recorded 82 punchouts and allowed only 25 hits. The excellence continued against the stiffer competition of the Arizona Fall League. In 22 1/3 innings, he struck out 26 and posted a 2.10 ERA, leading Baseball America to rate Kopech the number-two prospect in that circuit.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><a name='more'></a><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Like Moncada, Kopech is another physical specimen. He is listed at 6-foot-3, 195 pounds with a muscular, filled out body, he has an ideal pitcher’s frame. He has an electric arm, one of the quickest I have seen, and excellent arm strength. Kopech throws from a three-quarters arm slot with a high leg lift. He starts with a wide base with his hands by his chest, bringing them down to his waist and back up for his windup. His delivery has a lot of moving parts, with long arm action and hook behind, and he does not consistently finish his delivery. Furthermore, because of how quick his arm is, Kopech’s delivery can get out of sync relatively easily.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/6iqIGOTguzU/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6iqIGOTguzU?feature=player_embedded" width="560"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Kopech’s fastball will usually sit in the 96-99 mph range, topping out at 101 mph, but some starts he will dip down into the 94-98 mph range. The pitch will show life and arm-side run, but he has had trouble locating it at times, leading to questions about his long-term command and control profile. Because of his athleticism, Kopech should be able to develop average command, especially with the strides he has already made in cleaning up his delivery and improving his consistency repeating it. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Kopech features a slider and changeup, with both offerings flashing at least above-average, but not consistently. His slider is the better of the two at present, a true power slider in the high-80s that will show two-plane break and bite. It will flash plus potential with the ability to miss bats at the highest level. His low-90s changeup is more inconsistent, flashing above-average some starts but below-average in others. He doesn’t have consistent feel for the pitch yet, though he does throw it with the same arm speed as his fastball, making it tough to identify. Kopech has also thrown a curveball at 79-82 mph in the past, but late in 2016 seemed to find his slider and thus scrapped the pitch.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The top right-handed pitching prospect in the Red Sox system and a top 50 prospect in all of baseball, Kopech has the ceiling of a number two to three starter, with an elite fastball and two above-average-to-plus secondary pitches. I am not convinced that he is a starter long-term, and think there is a decent chance he ends up in the bullpen if he does not improve his fastball command and control and consistency with his secondary pitches. In a bullpen role, however, he could be a weapon, a potential late-inning power arm, which as the last two postseasons have shown is an extremely valuable player. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">-----</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://soxprospects.com/players/images/diaz.victor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://soxprospects.com/players/images/diaz.victor.jpg" /></a>The last piece of the trade may not be nearly as familiar to readers now, but if he continued pitching how he was at the end of this year into next year, he would have been. Right-handed pitcher <a href="http://soxprospects.com/players/diaz-victor.htm" target="_blank"><b>Victor Diaz</b></a> got a late start to his pro career, signing in December 2014 as a 20-year-old, but he has impressed along the way both in the DSL in 2015, where he put up a 1.38 ERA with 35 strikeouts in 32 2/3 innings, and in Greenville, where he posted a 3.88 ERA with 63 strikeouts in 60 1/3 innings in 2016. Diaz’s line this year is deceiving. Bad performances in the first half of the season left him with a 6.59 ERA and 1.78 WHIP after his first 28 2/3 innings with 12 walks and 23 strikeouts. But in the second half, Diaz put up a 1.42 ERA and 1.23 WHIP in 31 2/3 innings with 40 strikeouts and 13 walks. Furthermore, to end the year, Diaz did not allow a run in 16 2/3 innings over August and September, striking out 25 hitters and allowing only eight hits and nine walks. Diaz also was excellent during the Fall Instructional League this year, carrying over the strides he made in the second half and generating buzz among scouts.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/cWUemdxUL5k/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/cWUemdxUL5k?feature=player_embedded" width="560"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Though listed at 6-foot-3, 190 pounds, Diaz looks heavier than that. He has a filled-out pitcher’s frame with minimal remaining projection. His delivery has a lot of moving parts, but he seems to have a handle on how to repeat his delivery, and when he is locked in, his stuff is very impressive. Diaz throws from a three-quarters arm slot with a quick, strong arm. His fastball sits in the high-90s, and he has touched 100 mph in the past. When I saw him at Instructs, he <a href="http://news.soxprospects.com/2016/09/scouting-scratch-fall-instructs-part-one.html" target="_blank">sat at 99 mph for every fastball in his outing</a>. His fastball has late life and has shown the ability to miss bats if he can harness his command. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Diaz’ secondaries have been inconsistent in the past, but improved as the season went on and were impressive at Instructs. His slider flashes above-average-to-plus, thrown 91-93 mph and showing short, hard, 10-to-4 break and late bite. Diaz also throws a changeup at 90-92 mph that is behind his slider. He has the tendency to telegraph the pitch by slightly slowing his arm down. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">A reliever all the way, with improved command and refinement of his secondaries, Diaz has the upside to project in a late-inning bullpen role, although he comes with risk attached, and given that he has not pitched above Low A, he is more of a lottery ticket at this point. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Photo credits: <span style="font-family: inherit;">Michael Kopech </span>by <a href="http://sittingstill.smugmug.com/" target="_blank">Kelly O'Conno<span style="font-family: inherit;">r</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></i></span>and Victor Diaz by milb.com<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>Ian Cundall&nbsp;is&nbsp;Director of Scouting for SoxProspects.com. Follow him on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/IanCundall" target="_blank">@IanCundall</a>.</i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><br />Ian Cundallhttps://plus.google.com/114862263727483328373noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13579837.post-60231575421372973512016-12-07T07:00:00.000-05:002016-12-07T09:01:58.086-05:00Trade Analysis: Scouting the hitting prospects dealt for Chris Sale<div style="text-align: justify;">After acquiring right-handed reliever <b><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/t/thornty01.shtml" target="_blank">Tyler Thornburg</a></b> from the Milwaukee Brewers earlier in the day (look for a coming Trade Analysis on that deal), the Red Sox went out and made an even bigger move on Tuesday, acquiring left-handed pitcher <b><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/salech01.shtml" target="_blank">Chris Sale</a></b> for a package featuring four prospects, including the top prospect in the SoxProspects rankings in infielder <a href="http://soxprospects.com/players/moncada-yoan.htm" target="_blank"><b>Yoan Moncada</b></a>, right-hander <a href="http://soxprospects.com/players/kopech-michael.htm" target="_blank"><b>Michael Kopech</b></a>, outfielder <a href="http://soxprospects.com/players/basabe-alexander.htm" target="_blank"><b>Luis Alexander Basabe</b></a> and right-hander <a href="http://soxprospects.com/players/diaz-victor.htm" target="_blank"><b>Victor Diaz</b></a>. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Dave Dombrowski has shown since he first joined the organization that he is unafraid to deal top prospects if he thinks it can help the team win now. In acquiring Sale, the Red Sox added one of the best pitchers in all of baseball—who has had a lot of success against American League East opponents—on a very team friendly contract for the next three years, costing just $6.5 million against the competitive balance tax. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The cost to acquire Sale, however, was not as cheap. The Red Sox had to include three of the top 10 prospects in the system and four prospects who all have significant upside but come with risk. The depth the system had when Dombrowski took over is now gone and the cupboard has been picked thin—10 of the prospects in last October’s SoxProspects Top 20 have been traded in just over a year’s time. A few years down the line, this trade could look very different if a few of the prospects involved reach their potential, especially if one is Moncada. Still, the cost was easier to stomach given that the club was able to hold on to all of its young, established talent at the big league level, including <a href="http://soxprospects.com/players/benintendi-andrew.htm" target="_blank"><b>Andrew Benintendi</b></a>. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>Part One of our Trade Analysis will focus on the Moncada and Basabe, while Part Two posting this afternoon will focus on the two arms in the deal. Senior Staff Writer James Dunne contributed to this piece.</i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">-----</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://soxprospects.com/players/moncada-yoan.htm" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Portland-Sea-Dogs/Portland-Sea-Dogs-June-26-2016/i-hLCMCBf/0/L/20160626_3650-L.jpg" width="200" /></a>The centerpiece of the package heading to the White Sox is Cuban infielder <a href="http://soxprospects.com/players/moncada-yoan.htm" target="_blank"><b>Yoan Moncada</b></a>. Less than two years ago, the Red Sox signed Moncada for a $31.5 million bonus plus a 100% tax penalty for having already exceeded the international signing cap threshold. Even at that $63 million total price, Moncada had shown that massive investment to potentially be worth it. After a long layoff, he began his pro career with a sputter, hitting .200/.287/.289 in his first 25 games for Greenville. Any fears from that early performance were quickly put to rest when Moncada tortured South Atlantic League pitching to the tune of .310/.415/.500 the rest of the season. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /><a name='more'></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">He kicked off the 2016 season by dominating at the top of a loaded Salem lineup, hitting .307/.427/.496 and stealing 36 bases in 61 games. Portland offered some more resistance in terms of strikeouts, but he also got a power boost moving from LewisGale to Hadlock, hitting .277 /.379/.531 in 45 games. In August, he began to get work at third base to get ready for a major league call-up, but after coming up on September 1, Moncada was thrust into a starting role that he did not quite look ready to fill, going 4 for 19 with 12 strikeouts. Still, the brief major league struggle did not dampen the enthusiasm for the 21-year-old phenom.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Moncada’s build immediately stands out when you see him play. He does not look like a typical baseball player, sporting a filled out, mature frame more akin to that of a football player. He is a plus-plus runner and an excellent athlete, the type of player who at times can make playing the game look remarkably easy. A switch-hitter, Moncada’s bat is more advanced from the left side at this point. He has plus-plus bat speed and explosive hands and a short, fluid swing with slight uppercut and two-hand finish from the left side. He does a good job getting his whole body into his swing and can clear his hips to turn on pitches on the inner half, but can also stay back and drive the ball to the other way. From the right side, his swing is stiff and not as quick. His swing path is longer and he looks to pull the ball too much, resulting in his being caught off-balance and often lunging at the ball. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Moncada’s approach and pitch recognition are also works in progress, as shown in the swing-and-miss he showed during his brief big league call up. Moncada will always strike out, but part of that stems from his propensity to work deep counts and take a lot of pitches. His ability to handle breaking balls is a legitimate concern, but with more time in the minors, given his physical ability and tools he should be able to improve enough to develop into a plus hitter for average who, when he makes contact, will often make hard contact.&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/c-mKWpUnOfU/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/c-mKWpUnOfU?feature=player_embedded" width="560"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: justify;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </div><div style="text-align: justify;">Moncada will show plus raw power from both sides of the plate during batting practice. Hitting left-handed, he will drive the ball to all fields, but when hitting right-handed he will show power mainly to the pull side. He generates backspin with his slight uppercut swing, and when he makes solid contact the ball makes a different sound coming off his bat. At his peak, he projects as someone to hit for plus power, capable of hitting 20-26 home runs a year.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Defensively, there are some questions about what ultimately will be Moncada’s best position. He has the athleticism and bat to profile almost anywhere on the diamond and has an easy plus arm that would play at any infield or outfield position. Reportedly, the White Sox will start him out back at second base where he played the majority of his career. Moncada has the tools to be an above-average defender there, with plenty of range and soft hands. However, his footwork can get sloppy when fielding ground balls and around second base, and he was prone to making mistakes on routine plays that seemed to stem from a lack of focus. With continued repetition those mistakes could be minimized, but even at his peak he is likely to make his fair share of errors in the field. If he cannot stick at second base, third base is the next most likely position, but an eventual move to the outfield should not be ruled out, especially if he does not show improvement these next few years.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Overall, Moncada is one of the top prospects in all of baseball, and if he reaches his ceiling, he is a potential role seven, frequent all-star profile. He has the potential to impact the game in all facets, capable of hitting .300 with 20-plus home runs and 20-plus steals each year. Moncada does have some risk attached, as he needs to cut down on the amount of swing-and-miss in his game and improve his consistency in the field while finding a long-term position. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">-----</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://soxprospects.com/players/basabe-alexander.htm" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Lowell-Spinners/Lowell-Spinners-June-27-2015/i-K4nKfPL/0/L/20150627_7D_1401-L.jpg" width="160" /></a><a href="http://soxprospects.com/players/basabe-alexander.htm" target="_blank"><b>Luis Alexander Basabe</b></a> has not received the same national recognition as Moncada or Kopech, but is also a high upside prospect. Basabe signed back in August 2012 for $450,000 out of Venezuela along with his twin brother Luis Alejandro, who was <a href="http://news.soxprospects.com/2016/07/trade-anaylsis-scouting-prospects-dealt.html" target="_blank">traded to the Diamondbacks this July</a> in the trade for Brad Ziegler. Because he comes from a part of Venezuela near the Colombia border where soccer is far more popular than baseball, he was relatively new to the game of baseball when he signed, having only started playing a year or so earlier. Basabe made his system debut in the Dominican Summer League in 2013, putting up a .225/.385/.321 line with one home run and 18 steals. He returned to the DSL in 2014 and excelled, hitting .284/.408/.480 before a midseason promotion stateside to the Gulf Coast League, where he hit .248/.328/.324 in 32 games. It was after that season, during the Fall Instructional League, when Basabe really popped up on our radar, as he showed an intriguing but raw tool set. In 2015, Basabe hit a respectable .243/.340/.401 with seven home runs and fifteen steals as an 18-year-old playing against mainly college age pitchers in the New York-Penn League. He finished the year as the number 10 prospect in the system in the SoxProspects rankings and established himself as one of the toolsiest prospects in the system. In 2016, Basabe spent most of the year in Low A Greenville, hitting .258/.328/.447 with 12 home runs and 25 steals before a brief call-up to Salem where he hit .364/.391/.545 in 22 at-bats.<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/CfeY986T0vI/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/CfeY986T0vI?feature=player_embedded" width="560"></iframe></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Basabe was one of the most intriguing prospects in the Red Sox system. He would flash at least above-average in four tools, but the question mark is his hit tool. Basabe has an athletic, projectable frame, listed at 6-foot-0, 170 pounds. He still has some room to fill out as he physically matures and should be able to add strength without impacting his plus speed. A switch-hitter, Basabe has solid bat speed and quick hands, but his approach and pitch recognition are major works in progress. He has a lot of swing-and-miss in his game, but has shown some on-base ability and more selectivity, especially later this year after putting in work on tracking pitches with Greenville hitting coach Lee May. Basabe does not look like a power threat in person, but he has above-average-to-plus raw power and a tendency to make a lot of hard contact, which could lead to 15-plus home runs and 20-plus doubles at his peak if his hit tool develops into the fringe-average range, which it could.<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Basabe will also add value in the field, where he projects as a plus center fielder with a plus arm. He takes good routes and has a quick first step and natural instincts. Though farther away than Moncada (and Kopech, for that matter), if Basabe hits, he also has everyday upside. Even if he does not, he has a reasonably high floor as he should be able to stick in center field and can run and hit for some pop, a profile that will play in a bench role.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Photo credits: <span style="font-family: inherit;">Yoan Moncada and Luis Alexander Basabe</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span>by <a href="http://sittingstill.smugmug.com/" target="_blank">Kelly O'Connor</a><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>Ian Cundall&nbsp;is&nbsp;Director of Scouting for SoxProspects.com. Follow him on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/IanCundall" target="_blank">@IanCundall</a>.</i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div>Ian Cundallhttps://plus.google.com/114862263727483328373noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13579837.post-48066631576493747882016-12-06T23:30:00.001-05:002016-12-06T23:30:37.815-05:00Podcast Ep. #110: Dealin' Dave's Winter Sale<div style="text-align: justify;">Sound the emergency podcast siren! Dealin’ Dave was at it again today, acquiring <b>Tyler Thornburg</b> from Milwaukee for <b>Travis Shaw</b>, <b>Mauricio Dubon</b>, and <b>Josh Pennington</b>, then coming back hours later and landing the white whale from the White Sox in <b>Chris Sale</b>, giving up the system’s top prospect, <b>Yoan Moncada</b>, along with <b>Michael Kopech</b>, <b>Luis Alexander Basabe</b>, and <b>Victor Diaz</b>. In all, four of the team’s top nine prospects coming into the day, with two more on the fringes of the top 20, are headed out, but for a couple of major pieces. What did Chris and Ian think? And how did they answer your questions? Listen in!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Click through for the in-site player and download/streaming links!</div><a name='more'></a><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Got a question you'd like answered? Comment for the guys? Send it to <a href="mailto:podcast@soxprospects.com">podcast@soxprospects.com</a> or tweet using the hashtag #AskSP.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Thanks to <a href="http://www.theludlowthieves.com/">The Ludlow Thieves</a> for providing our music.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/soxprospects-com-podcast/id309680652">Subscribe on iTunes</a> (please rate and review!)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/soxprospectscom-podcast">Subscribe on Stitcher</a> (please rate and review!)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLwy0TNxlgwVx4vdAxeV7GYjb4mfVYugZ">Listen on YouTube</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://play.google.com/music/listen#/ps/Ivtlkmeoitdbusqz4w7pupwmvsq">Listen on Google Play Music</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://soxprospects.com/podcast/index.htm">Podcast Archive</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" height="90" mozallowfullscreen="" msallowfullscreen="" oallowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" src="//html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/4893064/height/90/width/565/theme/custom/autonext/no/thumbnail/yes/autoplay/no/preload/no/no_addthis/no/direction/backward/no-cache/true/render-playlist/no/custom-color/000090/" style="border: none;" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="565"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div>Chris Hatfieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13995524464888490589noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13579837.post-15557354083663675222016-12-06T15:00:00.000-05:002016-12-06T16:02:12.282-05:00Fall/Winter League Roundup: Castillo to play in Puerto Rican League <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZUFTSBhxKsc/WEYqs84UaNI/AAAAAAAADE4/ak0evmzclT810m1kXtzJTSdtd7XBR26vgCLcB/s1600/20160515_7D_3301-L.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZUFTSBhxKsc/WEYqs84UaNI/AAAAAAAADE4/ak0evmzclT810m1kXtzJTSdtd7XBR26vgCLcB/s200/20160515_7D_3301-L.jpg" width="180" /></span></a></div><div style="color: #454545; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span>Here is a recap of the past week's action in Fall and Winter leagues. For the full list of Red Sox prospects participating in these leagues, check out our <a href="http://www.soxprospects.com/fall-winter.htm" target="_blank">Fall &amp; Winter Leagues page</a>, which will be updated continuously through the offseason. This week's roundup covers the period of November 28 - December 5.</span></div><div style="color: #454545; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="color: #454545; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><b><u><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Dominican Baseball League</span></u></b></div><div style="color: #454545; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><u></u></b><b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><br /></span></div><div style="color: #454545; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Marco Hernandez</b> had a solid week by going 5 for 16 with a home run, a double and three RBI. <b>Rafael Devers</b> went 1 for 5 with a walk and <b>Aneury Tavarez</b> was 5 for 23. <b>Roenis Elias</b> also posted a very nice start, going five innings while allowing just a run. He had eight strikeouts and two walks.&nbsp;</span></div><div style="color: #454545; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><u><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Venezuelan Professional Baseball League</span></u></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><u><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></u></b></div><div style="color: #454545; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Luis Ysla</b> appeared in three separate contests and combined to throw 1 1/3 scoreless innings. <b>Austin Maddox</b> also threw two frames and allowed two earned runs.&nbsp;</span></div><a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><u><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Roberto Clemente Professional Baseball League</span></u></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="color: #454545; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><br /></span></div></div><div style="color: #454545; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Christian Vazquez</b> played well, going 6 for 20 with three walks. He had a four-hit game as part of his week. <b>Henry Ramos</b> was 7-21, including three consecutive multiple-hit efforts. <b>Joseph Monge</b> played in three games and went 1 for 3.&nbsp;</span></div><div style="color: #454545; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="color: #454545; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><b><u><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Venezuelan Liga Paralela</span></u></b></div><div style="color: #454545; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><b><u><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></u></b></div><div style="color: #454545; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Boston pitching staff was terrific this past week, posting three straight shutouts as part of a 3-1 stretch. <b>Hildemaro Requena</b> had a great start, tossing five scoreless innings without allowing a hit. <b>Jhonathan Diaz</b>, <b>Edilson Batista</b>, and <b>Angel Padron</b> each threw three shutout innings against Magallanes. <b>Isaias Lucena</b> had a big week, going 6 for 12 with a double. <b>Stanley Espinal</b> also had a pair of multi-hit efforts, going 5 for 10 on the week.&nbsp;</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="color: #454545; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br /></span></div></div><div style="color: #454545; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>WEEI's</i> Rob Bradford reported that <b>Rusney Castillo </b><a href="http://fullcount.weei.com/sports/boston/baseball/red-sox/author/rob-bradford/" target="_blank">will begin playing</a> in the Puerto Rican Winter League beginning on December 8.</span></div><div style="color: #454545; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="color: #454545; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Michael Kopech</b> was also named to <i>MLB.com's</i> <a href="http://m.mlb.com/news/article/210281478/arizona-fall-league-reveals-top-prospects-team/" target="_blank">All-AFL Team</a>. The righty posted a 2.01 ERA in 22 1/3 innings this fall&nbsp;with 26 strikeouts, eight walks, and a 1.16 WHIP.</span></div><div style="color: #454545; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="color: #454545; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Photo Credit: Rusney Castillo by Kelly O'Connor</i> </span></div><div style="color: #454545; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="color: #454545; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="color: #454545; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="color: #454545; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="color: #454545; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="color: #454545; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="more"></a><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="color: #454545; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="color: #454545; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="color: #454545; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="color: #454545; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="color: #454545; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike><br /></strike></span></div><div style="color: #454545; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br /></span></div><div style="color: #454545; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br /></span></div><div style="color: #454545; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="color: #454545; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br /></span></div><div style="color: #454545; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="color: #454545; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></div>Nick Rabascohttps://plus.google.com/117180698157626174422noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13579837.post-65089550494530708282016-12-02T13:27:00.000-05:002016-12-03T18:32:40.641-05:00November Notes: Prospect rankings and new CBA<div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://soxprospects.com/players/kopech-michael.htm" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Lowell-Spinners/Lowell-Spinners-June-17-2016/i-h7dLNNz/0/XL/20160617_5039-XL.jpg" width="180" /></a>Here are this month's minor league notes:</div><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>As we have progressed further into the offseason, prospect rankings have begun to circulate. Two editions of the SoxProspects Podcast were released this month, the first of which involved executive editor Chris Hatfield, director of scouting Ian Cundall, managing editor Matt Huegel, and editor-in-chief Mike Andrews <a href="http://news.soxprospects.com/2016/11/podcast-ep-108-2016-rankings-special.html">breaking down the end-of-season rankings.</a></li></ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>&nbsp;In the <a href="http://news.soxprospects.com/2016/11/podcast-ep-109-alex-speier-on-ranking.html">109th episode of the SoxProspects podcast</a>, the staff met with Alex Speier of the Boston Globe and Baseball America to discuss <a href="http://www.baseballamerica.com/minors/2017-boston-red-sox-top-10-prospects/#UmvassBoPh5Y1FHC.97">Baseball America's top ten Red Sox prospects</a>. In Speier's list, <b>Andrew Benintendi </b>makes the jump above <b>Yoan Moncada </b>for Boston's top prospect while <b>Mauricio Dubon</b>, <b>Bobby Dalbec</b>, and <b>Roniel Raudes </b>slide into the top ten.&nbsp;</li></ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>While the winter leagues are now in full swing, the Arizona Fall League has wrapped up, with the Surprise Saguaros falling to the Mesa Solar Sox in the championship game. Catch up on all the action by reading through our weekly Fall/Winter League Roundup. There were four posted this month: <a href="http://news.soxprospects.com/2016/11/fallwinter-league-roundup-kopech.html">November 7</a>, <a href="http://news.soxprospects.com/2016/11/fallwinter-league-roundup-vazquez.html">November 14</a>, <a href="http://news.soxprospects.com/2016/11/fallwinter-league-roundup-devers.html">November 21</a>, and <a href="http://news.soxprospects.com/2016/11/fallwinter-league-roundup-vazquez-belts.html">November 28</a>.<a name='more'></a></li></ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"></ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>Seven players from the Red Sox organization participated in the Arizona Fall League this year: <b>Michael Kopech</b> (<i>pictured, above</i>), <b>Yoan Moncada</b>,&nbsp;<b>Mauricio Dubon</b>, <b>Trey Ball</b>, <b>Jamie Callahan</b>, <b>Jalen Beeks</b>, and <b>Danny Mars</b>. Following the season, <a href="http://boston.locals.baseballprospectus.com/2016/11/23/red-sox-afl-wrap-up-kopech-dazzles-and-ball-falls/">Baseball Prospectus</a> took a look at each player's fall performance (save for Moncada, who played in just six games due to injury) and how their stock has changed.&nbsp;</li></ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>Kopech in particular impressed during the fall, turning in <a href="http://fullcount.weei.com/sports/boston/baseball/red-sox/2016/11/06/red-sox-top-pitching-prospect-michael-kopech-dominates-in-arizona-fall-league-all-star-game/">a notable performance in the Fall Stars game</a>. In two innings, Kopech did not allow a baserunner and struck out three batters while touching 100 mph five times according to MLB.com. In 22 1/3 innings for Surprise during the season, Kopech pitched to a 2.01 ERA with 26 strikeouts and eight walks, six of which came in one start. <a href="http://m.mlb.com/news/article/209388294/arizona-fall-leagues-top-25-prospects-in-2016/?topicid=151437456">Jim Callis of MLB.com</a> ranked Kopech as the fourth-best prospect and the best pitching prospect in the Arizona Fall League.&nbsp;</li></ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>Kopech has had some struggles with staying on the field as he missed the end of the 2015 season after receiving a 50-game suspension for oxilofrine, a banned substance. He then missed the first two months of the 2016 season after breaking a bone in his right hand in an altercation involving a teammate. However, Kopech dominated when he was on the field in 2016 both in Salem and the Arizona Fall League and believes <a href="http://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/redsox/2016/11/14/sox-prospect-michael-kopech-believes-controversies-are-behind-him/xlhEICxDqdvsLsuRPbak2I/story.html?p1=Team_LeadArticle">his controversies are behind him</a> for good.&nbsp;</li></ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>One more of Boston's prospects received some recognition in Arizona as <a href="http://m.mlb.com/news/article/207939576/andujar-dubon-named-fall-stars-fan-final-two/?topicid=153494546">Dubon was named to the Fall Stars game</a> via the Final Vote. In 18 games with Surprise, Dubon slashed .211/.273/.408 with three home runs and three stolen bases. This came after a breakout season between Salem and Portland which saw Dubon hit .323/.379/.461 with six home runs, all coming after the promotion to Portland.&nbsp;</li></ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>Christopher Smith of <i>Masslive.com </i>suggested <a href="http://www.masslive.com/redsox/index.ssf/2016/11/five_boston_red_sox_minor_leag.html#incart_river_index">a few Red Sox prospects</a> that could make the jump to the major leagues in 2017. Among these names were Kopech, Dubon, first baseman <b>Sam Travis</b>, and relief pitchers <b>Kyle Martin</b>, <b>Chandler Shepherd</b>, and <b>Luis Ysla</b>.&nbsp;</li></ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>There was some <a href="http://www.baseballamerica.com/majors/red-sox-announce-front-office-promotions/#giJ47xkTgqZy3eei.97">movement in the Red Sox front office</a> this month. The Red Sox promoted <b>Frank Wren </b>to senior vice president of player personnel, where he will report directly to team president <b>Dave Dombrowski</b>. Within the scouting department, <b>Blair Henry </b>was promoted from amateur scout to major league scout and <b>Tim Huff </b>was hired as a major league scout.&nbsp;</li></ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>Outfielder <b>Rusney Castillo</b>, whom the Red Sox signed to a seven-year contract worth $72.5 million in 2014, is <a href="http://fullcount.weei.com/sports/boston/baseball/red-sox/2016/11/29/rusney-castillo-set-to-spend-month-in-puerto-rican-winter-league/">scheduled to play in the Puerto Rican Winter League</a> on December 8. The 29-year-old Castillo spent most of the 2016 season in Triple-A Pawtucket after the Red Sox outrighted him from the 40-man roster, hitting .263/.309/.354 in 103 games.&nbsp;</li></ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>Major League Baseball and the MLB Players' Union were able to agree on <a href="http://www.foxsports.com/mlb/story/collective-bargaining-agreement-players-owners-deal-lockout-rosenthal-113016">a new collective bargaining agreement</a> before the December 1st deadline. The most significant changes in the new agreement revolve around draft pick compensation, as teams will no longer forfeit first-round picks to sign players who decline a qualifying offer. Instead, teams will give up a third-rounder if they are under the luxury tax threshold and a second and fifth-round pick if they are above that line. Additionally, all teams will receive a hard bonus cap for international signings depending on their market and revenue status. In other minor changes, the minimum disabled list stint has been changed to 10 days, the All-Star game will no longer determine home-field advantage in the World Series, and incoming players will be banned from using smokeless tobacco during games (though current users will be grandfathered in).</li></ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>The Red Sox have been quiet this offseason, as they are yet to add a player to the major league roster. They appear to have a rationale for their inaction, as Dave Dombrowski and staff were <a href="http://fullcount.weei.com/sports/boston/baseball/red-sox/2016/11/21/while-some-mlb-teams-open-checkbooks-red-sox-remain-reluctant-to-dive-into-free-agent-market/?s_campaign=108stitches:newsletter">waiting until the players and owners settled on a new CBA</a>, which determined the luxury tax threshold will be around $195 million.&nbsp;</li></ul><ul><li style="text-align: justify;">Ben Buchanan of <i>Over the Monster </i>breaks down how the changes in the <a href="http://www.overthemonster.com/2016/12/1/13804862/good-and-bad-news-for-red-sox-in-mlb-s-new-cba">new CBA will affect the Red Sox.</a> The new rules around international signings will hurt the Red Sox, but not as much as the proposed international draft, while the new qualifying offer rules will allow Boston to be more active on the free agent market, especially as the luxury tax threshold increases in upcoming seasons.&nbsp;</li></ul><i>Photo Credit: Michael Kopech by Kelly O'Connor</i> <br /><ul></ul><ul></ul><ul></ul>Conor Duffyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14224342221383860505noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13579837.post-9187128192867902842016-11-28T12:00:00.000-05:002016-11-28T12:32:11.405-05:00Fall/Winter League Roundup: Vazquez belts walk-off home run<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://soxprospects.com/players/vazquez-christian.htm" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Pawtucket-Red-Sox/PawSox-July-28-2016/i-BzcbXnk/0/XL/20160728_7781-XL.jpg" width="159" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Here is a recap of the past week's action in Fall and Winter leagues. For the full list of Red Sox prospects participating in these leagues, check out our <a href="http://www.soxprospects.com/fall-winter.htm" target="_blank">Fall &amp; Winter Leagues page</a>, which will be updated continuously through the offseason. This week's roundup covers the period of November 21 - 27.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><u>Dominican Baseball League</u></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><u><br /></u></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The highlight of the week was the performance of&nbsp;<b>Aneury Tavarez</b>, who went 7 for 14 with a home run, stolen base, and a walk. The home run was his first for Oriente, and the strong week raised his line to .325/.366/.403.<br /><b><br /></b><b>Marco Hernandez </b>picked up his first extra-base hit this week, a double that was part of a 2 for 5 game, but he followed that up with three games where he combined to go 1 for 13 as his batting average dipped to .262.<br /><b><br /></b> <b>Rafael Devers </b>got a hit in his only at-bat, and <b>Roenis Elias&nbsp;</b>allowed two runs on five hits over 4 2/3 innings in his only appearance of the week.&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a name='more'></a><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><u>Venezuelan Professional Baseball League</u></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><u><br /></u></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">It was a light week of action for the Red Sox prospects, with&nbsp;<b>Austin Maddox </b>seeing the most playing time and tossing two scoreless innings while allowing three hits and a walk.&nbsp;<b>Luis Ysla </b>walked the only batter he faced, and&nbsp;<b>Deiner Lopez </b>went 0 for 1.&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><u>Roberto Clemente Professional Baseball League</u></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Christian Vazquez</b>'s <i>(pictured, above)</i> week started off slowly, as he went 0 for 7 with two walks over his first two games. He turned it around in his final two appearances, going 5 for 8 with a walk, including a walk-off home run on Sunday in the bottom of the 10th. The home run was his first extra-base hit in eight games with&nbsp;Santurce.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Joseph Monge </b>went 1 for 7 in limited action, while free-agent <b>Henry Ramos </b>went 3 for 11 with a walk.&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><u>Colombian Professional Baseball League</u></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><u><br /></u></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Dawill Aponte</b> appeared in two games as a defensive replacement, but he did not record any plate appearances.&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><u>Venezuelan Liga Paralela</u></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;">After struggling last week, the Boston team got back on track by going 4-0 this week as they regained first place. The win on Monday was led by <b>Stanley Espinal</b>, who went 3 for 4 with two doubles and three runs scored. <b>Roldani Baldwin</b> went 3 for 3 with two doubles and <b>Lorenzo Cedrola</b> went 2 for 4 while <b>Hildemaro Requena</b> threw five innings of two-run ball.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Tuesday’s game was over early as Boston scored four in the first and won 8-0. <b>Pedro Castellanos</b> went 3 for 5 with two runs scored, while Espinal and <b>Luis Alexander Basabe</b> each homered. The game on Wednesday was a blowout as well, with Boston winning 16-5. Castellanos, <b>Raiwinson Lameda</b>, and <b>Samuel Miranda</b> all homered, while <b>Victor Acosta</b> added two hits and a double.&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The closest game of the week was on Friday as they held off a late rally to win 4-2. Basabe hit another home run, his team-leading fifth of the season, and Espinal added another two hits and a double. <b>Victor Garcia</b> picked up the win with two scoreless innings of relief.&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>Photo Credit: Christian Vazquez by Kelly O'Connor</i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><br /></i></div></div>Jim Crowellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07242721829102248162noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13579837.post-2649985576908262212016-11-21T19:53:00.003-05:002016-11-21T19:53:48.475-05:00Fall/Winter League Roundup: Devers, Hernandez stand out in Dominican winter league<div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.soxprospects.com/players/hernandez-marco.htm" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Pawtucket-Red-Sox/PawSox-May-15-2016/i-48zg5pm/0/XL/20160515_7D_3347-XL.jpg" width="180" /></a>Here is a recap of the past week's action in Fall and Winter leagues. For the full list of Red Sox prospects participating in these leagues, check out our <a href="http://soxprospects.com/fall-winter.htm" target="_blank">Fall &amp; Winter Leagues page</a>, which will be updated continuously through the offseason. This week's roundup covers the period of&nbsp;November 14- November 21.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><u><b>Arizona Fall League</b></u></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The league wrapped up play this week, with the Surprise Saguaros losing 6-1 in the championship game to the Mesa Solar Sox. <b>Michael Kopech </b>made one start this week, going five innings and allowing two runs while fanning six and walking one. He finished his stint in the fall league with a 2.01 ERA with 26 strikeouts and eight walks in 22 1/3 innings.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Mauricio Dubon </b>had a quiet final week of the season, playing in just two games and going 0 for 7. <b>Danny Mars </b>was 2 for 3 at the plate in his only start and was caught stealing in a pinch running performance. On the mound, <b>Trey Ball </b>made one relief appearance tossed two shutout frames with a strikeout. Southpaw <b>Jalen Beeks </b>allowed a run in one inning while right-hander <b>Jamie Callahan </b>threw two scoreless innings to close out a dominant run in Arizona, featuring a 0.75 ERA in 12 innings pitched.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><a name='more'></a><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><u><b>Venezuelan Professional Baseball League</b></u></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Left-hander <b>Luis Ysla </b>made four appearances out of the bullpen this week, totaling two perfect innings pitched and striking out two. <b>Austin Maddox </b>made two strong appearances before allowing two runs in 1/3 of an inning on Sunday.<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><u><b>Dominican Baseball League</b></u></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Third-ranked prospect <b>Rafael Devers </b>had a big week, going 5 for 13 in a week highlighted by a 4-for-5 performance on Friday. He is now hitting .242/.275/.303 in 19 games. <b>Marco Hernandez </b>(<i>pictured</i>) also had an excellent week at the plate, going 10 for 21 and bringing his slash line up to .275/.315/.275 this winter. Outfielder <b>Aneury Tavarez </b>cooled off a bit, going 6 for 25.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Roenis Elias </b>made two dominant starts this week, tossing a combined 11 shutout innings, allowing eight hits and five walks while striking out 11 batters. <b>Justin Haley </b>was also untouchable in his only start of the week, throwing 5 2/3 scoreless frames and bringing his ERA to a stingy 0.38 in 23 2/3 innings.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><u><b>Roberto Clemente Professional Baseball League</b></u></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Catcher <b>Christian Vazquez </b>started three games this week and went only 1 for 12 at the plate.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><u><b>Colombian Professional Baseball League</b></u></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Dawill Aponte </b>was 0 for 1 with a walk in his only action.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><u><b>Venezuelan Liga Paralela&nbsp;</b></u></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The Boston squad had a rough go of things this week, going just 1-5 and dropping to 17-9 this season. Leadoff hitter <b>Lorenzo Cedrola </b>stood out, going 8 for 20 with a walk. First baseman/catcher <b>Roldani Baldwin </b>turned in a strong week as well, going 9 for 16 with a double. <b>Pedro Castellanos&nbsp;</b>was only 2 for 14, though both hits were doubles. <b>Hildemaro Requena </b>had the strongest pitching performance of the week, allowing two runs in five innings, striking out six and walking two. <b>Jose Gonzalez </b>pitched four shutout innings of relief.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>Photo Credit: Marco Hernandez by Kelly O'Connor</i></div>Conor Duffyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14224342221383860505noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13579837.post-86785057375594416702016-11-16T22:21:00.000-05:002016-11-16T22:21:55.139-05:00Podcast Ep. #109: Alex Speier on Ranking the System<div style="text-align: justify;">Making his fourth appearance on the podcast, Alex Speier of the Boston Globe and Baseball America joined the guys to discuss his recently released Red Sox Top 10 list. How did he pick between Andrew Benintendi and Yoan Moncada? Michael Kopech and Jason Groome? Plus we hit on some other topics, like a potential Mookie Betts extension and what players might be trade fodder for the next Dave Dombrowski deal.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Click through for the in-site player and download/streaming links!</div><a name='more'></a><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Got a question you'd like answered? Comment for the guys? Send it to <a href="mailto:podcast@soxprospects.com">podcast@soxprospects.com</a> or tweet using the hashtag #AskSP.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Thanks to <a href="http://www.theludlowthieves.com/">The Ludlow Thieves</a> for providing our music.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/soxprospects-com-podcast/id309680652">Subscribe on iTunes</a> (please rate and review!)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/soxprospectscom-podcast">Subscribe on Stitcher</a> (please rate and review!)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLwy0TNxlgwVx4vdAxeV7GYjb4mfVYugZ">Listen on YouTube</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://play.google.com/music/listen#/ps/Ivtlkmeoitdbusqz4w7pupwmvsq">Listen on Google Play Music</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://soxprospects.com/podcast/index.htm">Podcast Archive</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" height="90" mozallowfullscreen="" msallowfullscreen="" oallowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" src="//html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/4838077/height/90/width/565/theme/custom/autonext/no/thumbnail/yes/autoplay/no/preload/no/no_addthis/no/direction/backward/no-cache/true/render-playlist/no/custom-color/000090/" style="border: none;" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="565"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div>Chris Hatfieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13995524464888490589noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13579837.post-76609447015176417972016-11-14T13:00:00.000-05:002016-11-15T17:28:00.894-05:00Fall/Winter League Roundup: Vazquez debuts, Tavarez, Mars stay hot<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9NliAlS4a2U/WCn_Oi7VKjI/AAAAAAAACts/12nMQGcvVrMsAj0Q4XCqEcMYcVzwq4Y_QCLcB/s1600/20150303_5D_0906-L.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9NliAlS4a2U/WCn_Oi7VKjI/AAAAAAAACts/12nMQGcvVrMsAj0Q4XCqEcMYcVzwq4Y_QCLcB/s200/20150303_5D_0906-L.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Here is a recap of the past week's action in Fall and Winter leagues. For the full list of Red Sox prospects participating in these leagues, check out our <a href="http://soxprospects.com/fall-winter.htm" target="_blank">Fall &amp; Winter Leagues page</a>, which will be updated continuously through the offseason. This week's roundup covers the period of&nbsp;November&nbsp;7- November 13.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><u>Arizona Fall League</u></b>&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><br /></b><b>Michael Kopech</b>&nbsp;really struggled with his control coming off a dominant performance in the AFL Fall Star Game. He walked six in just 3 1/3 innings but was still able to put up a zero in the run column. He struck out two. He now has a 1.56 ERA in 17 1/3 innings this fall with 20 strikeouts and seven walks.<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Danny Mars</b> played just two games this past week but stayed hot by going 4 for 7 with two doubles and three RBI. He is 8 for his last 14 after a 1-for-22 start. <b>Mauricio Dubon</b> struggled with just one hit, a double, in 11 at-bats. He also drew a pair of walks and struck out four times. He played two games at short and one in center field.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><br /></b><b>Trey Ball</b> made two appearances totaling three innings and allowed one run on three hits, a walk, and two strikeouts. <b>Jalen Beeks</b> also had two appearances and three total innings but did not fare as well. He surrendered five earned runs on five hits with two walks and three punch outs. <b>Jamie Callahan</b> gave up a run in two innings of work with a walk and two strikeouts.</div><a name='more'></a><b><u><br /></u></b> <b><u>Venezuelan Professional Baseball League</u></b><br /><b><u><br /></u></b> Pending free agent <b>William Cuevas</b> had another solid outing, allowing two earned runs over five innings. He struck out four and walked one. He now has a 2.49 ERA in 43 1/3 innings this fall. <b>Austin Maddox</b> and <b>Luis Ysla</b> made their fall league debuts this past week, each appearing in two games. Maddox tossed two innings and allowed one run on a solo homer. He struck out three and did not walk a batter. Ysla allowed a run in 1 1/3 innings with a walk and a strikeout. <b>Carlos Tovar</b> was the only hitter who saw action, as he went 3 for 12 with a double and two RBI.<br /><br /><b><u>Dominican Baseball League</u></b><br /><b><u><br /></u></b> <b>Aneury Tavarez</b> was the only Red Sox prospect to record&nbsp;a hit this past week in the Dominican League. He went 7 for 21 with a pair of doubles and three RBI. He's hitting .341/.386/.488 this fall after a marvelous season with Portland. <b>Rafael Devers</b> was 0 for 3 and <b>Marco Hernandez</b> was 0 for 10 with a walk. <b>Justin Haley</b> continued his very strong fall with six shutout innings. He allowed just four hits, no walks, and struck out two. His ERA is down to 0.50 for the fall and has just one walk in 18 innings.<br /><br /><b><u>Roberto Clemente Professional Baseball League</u></b><br /><b><u><br /></u></b> <b>Christian Vazquez</b> made his fall debut Saturday with Cangrejeros de Santurce. He went 2 for 3 with two singles and two walks and caught all nine innings. <b>Joseph Monge</b> went 3 for 12 with&nbsp;a double and four strikeouts and <b>Henry Ramos</b> was 1 for 8 with two strikeouts.<br /><br /><b><u>Colombian Professional Baseball League</u></b><br /><br /><b>Dawill Aponte</b> went 2 for 11 with two walks.<br /><br /><b><u>Venezuelan Liga Paralela</u></b><br /><b><u><br /></u></b> It was another good week for the Boston squad as they went 4-1. The offense was terrific, putting up a pair of 12-run games. <b>Pedro Castellano</b> had a big week by going 9 for 17 with a home run and a double. <b>Marino Campana</b> was 6 for 16 with a home run, <b>Stanley Espinal</b> was 6 for 19 with two doubles, <b>Raiwinson Lameda</b> was 4 for 7, and <b>Reinaldo Ugueto</b> was 5 for 13 with a triple.<br /><br />The pitching was solid as well, as <b>Victor Garcia</b> got the week started with four shutout innings with six strikeouts. <b>Eduard Bazardo</b> also threw four shutout innings and had seven strikeouts with no walks. He along with <b>Ryan Oduber</b> and <b>Jose Gonzalez</b> helped the Boston team to a 1-0 win on Thursday. <b>Carlos Cortez</b> also threw six innings over two appearances and allowed just one run.<br /><br /><b><u>Australian Baseball League</u></b><br /><br />The Australian Baseball League begins play this week, but although&nbsp;there are a number of former Red Sox minor leaguers playing in the league this year (including Boss Moanaroa, Beau Bishop, Stefan Welch, James Albury, and Justin Erasmus), no current Sox are listed on rosters. There was some thought here that Aussie <b>Daniel McGrath</b>&nbsp;might pitch after missing about a month-and-a-half early in the 2016 season, but it appears after reaching 103 innings during the regular season, he will shut it down during the offseason and prepare for 2017.<br /><i><br /></i> <i>Photo Credit: Christian Vazquez by Kelly O'Connor</i><br /><i><br /></i>Nick Rabascohttps://plus.google.com/117180698157626174422noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13579837.post-29045934175564911352016-11-08T00:19:00.001-05:002016-11-08T00:19:12.327-05:00Podcast Ep. #108: 2016 Rankings Special<div style="text-align: justify;">Chris, Ian, Matt, and the returning Mike Andrews marked the end of the season by breaking down the debates that led to our end-of-season rankings! Topics discussed included ranking Yoan Moncada over Andrew Benintendi at number 1 and Jason Groome over Michael Kopech as the system’s top pitching prospect, how the system looks compared to past seasons, and highlights all the way down each of the guys’ top 60 rankings.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Click through for the in-site player and download/streaming links!</div><a name='more'></a><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Got a question you'd like answered? Comment for the guys? Send them over to <a href="mailto:podcast@soxprospects.com">podcast@soxprospects.com</a> or tweet using the hashtag #AskSP.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Thanks to <a href="http://www.theludlowthieves.com/">The Ludlow Thieves</a> for providing our music.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/soxprospects-com-podcast/id309680652">Subscribe on iTunes</a> (please rate and review!)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/soxprospectscom-podcast">Subscribe on Stitcher</a> (please rate and review!)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLwy0TNxlgwVx4vdAxeV7GYjb4mfVYugZ">Listen on YouTube</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://play.google.com/music/listen#/ps/Ivtlkmeoitdbusqz4w7pupwmvsq">Listen on Google Play Music</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://soxprospects.com/podcast/index.htm">Podcast Archive</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" height="90" mozallowfullscreen="" msallowfullscreen="" oallowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" src="//html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/4813571/height/90/width/565/theme/custom/autonext/no/thumbnail/yes/autoplay/no/preload/no/no_addthis/no/direction/backward/no-cache/true/render-playlist/no/custom-color/000090/" style="border: none;" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="565"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div>Chris Hatfieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13995524464888490589noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13579837.post-56747741311347914952016-11-07T19:00:00.000-05:002016-11-07T21:23:21.281-05:00Fall/Winter League Roundup: Kopech continues to dominate<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.soxprospects.com/players/kopech-michael.htm" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Lowell-Spinners/Lowell-Spinners-June-17-2016/i-pL7gfdJ/0/XL/20160617_5107-XL.jpg" width="159" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Here is a recap of the past week's action in Fall and Winter leagues. For the full list of Red Sox prospects participating in these leagues, check out our <a href="http://soxprospects.com/fall-winter.htm" target="_blank">Fall &amp; Winter Leagues page</a>, which will be updated continuously through the offseason. This week's roundup covers the period of October 31 - November 6.</div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><u>Arizona Fall League</u></b></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><u><br /></u></b></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;">The highlight of the week was <b>Michael Kopech</b>'s <i>(pictured)</i> dominance in the AFL Fall Stars game, as the right-hander struck out three over two hitless innings. His fastball touched 101 mph, while he also showcased an upper-80s slider and low-90s changeup. <b>Trey Ball </b>also made an appearance in the game, retiring the only batter he faced, and&nbsp;<b>Mauricio Dubon</b>, who had won a fan vote for a spot in the contest, reached base in his lone plate appearance on a catcher's interference.&nbsp;</div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;">That was not Kopech's only dominant outing of the week, as he struck out six over four scoreless innings in his start on Tuesday. He allowed only one hit and did not walk a batter. Ball allowed two runs over 1 2/3 innings in his two appearances, walking three without notching a strikeout. <b>Jamie Callahan </b>threw two scoreless innings and picked up a save, while <b>Jalen Beeks </b>struck out two over two scoreless innings.&nbsp;</div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a name='more'></a><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;">The offensive players had a good week despite being part of a no-hitter on Tuesday.<b>&nbsp;</b>Dubon and <b>Danny Mars </b>combined to go 0 for 7 in that game, but Dubon went 2 for 8 with a walk and a home run in his other two starts, and Mars went 4 for 7.&nbsp;</div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><u>Venezuelan Professional Baseball League</u></b></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><u><br /></u></b></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;">It was a light slate of action in Venezuela this week, with only&nbsp;<b>Carlos Tovar </b>and pending free agent <b>William Cuevas </b>seeing action. Tovar went 1 for 12 while Cuevas<b>&nbsp;</b>improved to 2-0 after firing six innings of one-run ball. Tovar's average has dipped to .189 while his OPS sits at .481. <b>Dedgar Jimenez</b>&nbsp;and <b>Deiner Lopez</b>&nbsp;have been sent down to their teams' respective Development Program squads (see below).</div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><u>Dominican Baseball League</u></b></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><u><br /></u></b></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Marco Hernandez </b>made his debut with Licey, going 4 for 20 with two walks and six strikeouts. This was his first game action since appearing in the postseason with the Red Sox.&nbsp;<b>Rafael Devers </b>had a solid week, going 5 for 18 with two doubles to improve his line to .220/.264/.300, and <b>Aneury Tavarez </b>saw his playing time tick up this week, going 5 for 12 with a double and a home run.&nbsp;</div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;">On the mound,&nbsp;<b>Justin Haley </b>had a strong start, tossing five shutout innings while allowing only three hits and striking out five. <b>Roenis Elias </b>did not have the same success, allowing six runs, three earned, over 5 1/3 innings, giving up six hits while walking four. <b>Chandler Shepherd </b>came out of the bullpen for two appearances, allowing only one hit while striking out four over two scoreless innings. His ERA now sits at 1.42 over six appearances.&nbsp;</div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><u><br /></u></b></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><u>Roberto Clemente Professional Baseball League</u></b></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Jeremy Rivera </b>made his first appearances for&nbsp;Mayaguez last week, going 0 for 3 in three pinch-hit at-bats. <b>Joseph Monge </b>saw the most playing time, going 2 for 10 with three strikeouts, while free agent <b>Henry Ramos </b>went 0 for 4 with two strikeouts in his lone appearance.&nbsp;</div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><u><br /></u></b></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><u>Colombian Professional Baseball League</u></b></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;">The only Red Sox prospect currently rostered in this league is&nbsp;<b>Dawill Aponte</b>, who is playing for&nbsp;Barranquilla. The season kicked off on Friday and he went 0 for 4 with a walk in his only start.&nbsp;</div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><br /></b></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><u>Venezuelan Liga Paralela</u></b></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><u><br /></u></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The Boston squad played three games this week and had three games rained out. They went 3-0, and are now in first place at 11-4. The offense was the story of the week, putting up 24 runs on 44 hits. <b>Luis Alexander Basabe </b>went 8 for 14 with two walks and two home runs,&nbsp;<b>Raiwinson Lameda </b>went 5 for 9 with a double, and&nbsp;<b>Ricardo Cubillan </b>went 5 for 12 with a walk.&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The pitching was not as sharp, but it was led by <b>Ryan Oduber </b>who picked up a save after going three scoreless innings in his only appearance.&nbsp;<b>Jhonathan Diaz </b>was roughed up in his start, giving up three runs on seven hits over three innings, and&nbsp;<b>Eduard Bazardo </b>gave up three runs on four hits over three innings.<br /><br />Elsewhere, Red Sox prospects have popped up on other teams in the league. Most notably, <b>Luis Ysla</b>&nbsp;has gotten some tune-up innings for the team his Bravos de Margarita share with the Caribes de Anzoategui, tossing three hitless, scoreless frames, striking out four and walking two. His teammate, <b>Ramses Rosario</b>, has allowed one run on eight hits and four walks in 8 1/3 innings, striking out three. As for the above-mentioned demoted players, Jimenez threw four innings in relief for Magallanes for making his first appearance for Boston's club this past week, while Lopez has put up a .333/.350/.389 line in 18 at-bats for Lara. &nbsp;</div><br /><i>Photo Credit: Michael Kopech by Kelly O'Connor</i><br /><i><br /></i></div></div>Jim Crowellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07242721829102248162noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13579837.post-20146553652640715422016-11-01T07:00:00.000-04:002016-11-01T10:21:36.198-04:00October Notes: Fall ball and front office changesHere are this month's minor league notes:<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.soxprospects.com/players/moncada-yoan.htm" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Portland-Sea-Dogs/Portland-Sea-Dogs-August-28/i-bMq6RFT/0/XL/20160828_0477-XL.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><ul><li style="margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: justify;">Much of the prospect news this month was centered on the Arizona Fall League. <b>Yoan&nbsp;Moncada</b><i>&nbsp;(pictured, right)</i> was obviously the biggest name of the Red Sox. He started off on fire going&nbsp;6-for-14 with a double, home run, two RBI and five runs scored over the first 10 days of the league. After that, he got only one hit over his next 10 at-bats. Strikeouts were a problem throughout his time in the AFL, striking out in 42% of his at-bats.</li><li style="margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: justify;">The fall league continues through the 19th of November, but it will continue without Moncada. He injured his thumb which <a href="https://twitter.com/BerniePleskoff/status/791352426926256128" target="_blank">required a trip to a specialist</a> according to Bernie Pleskoff of <i>FanRag Sports</i>. In the days since&nbsp;Moncada has been seen with his thumb wrapped with a splint and his time in the AFL is over. However, multiple&nbsp;reports have cited the fact that the injury is just a sprain and he should be ready for spring training.</li><li style="margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: justify;">The other top Red Sox prospect garnering a lot of attention in the AFL is righty <b>Michael Kopech</b>, currently the ranked fifth on the <i>SoxProspects.com</i> rankings. He was a logical candidate to be sent to the AFL with his advanced stuff, but also due to the fact that he was suspended 50 games to start this season and needed to make up the innings.&nbsp;</li><li style="margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: justify;">Kopech's strong Arizona Fall League performance has earned him a spot on the 2016 Fall Stars roster. Over his first three starts, Kopech has impressed, throwing 10 innings with a 2.70 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, and 12 strikeouts to one walk. He is coming off a 2016 regular season where he dominated to the tune of a 2.08 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 86 strikeouts to 33 walks over 56 1/3 innings.&nbsp;</li><li style="margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: justify;">It is no surprise he continues to receive&nbsp;national attention. Both Pleskoff and <i>ESPN</i>'s Keith Law had very positive write-ups on Kopech's recent starts. Like everyone, Law was impressed by the upper-90s velocity and <a href="http://www.espn.com/blog/keith-law/insider/post?id=5758" target="_blank">said he had "top-of-the-rotation" potential</a>, but also stated that he needed to work on his command and his inconsistent secondaries. Pleskoff, a former Astros and Mariners scout, was <a href="http://www.todaysknuckleball.com/al/boston-red-sox/pleskoff-scouting-report-michael-kopech/" target="_blank">much more glowing in his report</a>, ultimately giving him a 60-grade ("all-star quality") grade.<a name='more'></a></li><li style="margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: justify;">MLB Pipeline handed out their <a href="http://m.mlb.com/news/article/205612394/mlb-pipelines-team-prospects-of-the-year/" target="_blank">2016 Organizational Prospects of the Year</a> for each organization this past month. The Red Sox hitter of the year went to outfielder <b>Andrew Benintendi</b> while Kopech took home the award for pitchers.</li><li style="margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: justify;">Baseball America also released their <a href="http://www.baseballamerica.com/minors/2016-eastern-league-top-20-prospects/#HqqvT38CQ4dAvcgW.97" target="_blank">2016 Top 20 Eastern League Prospects</a> list and two Red Sox top the list: Yoan Moncada earned top honors just edging out teammate Andrew Benintendi who finished second.</li><li style="margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: justify;">Lefty&nbsp;<b>Trey Ball</b> was also named to the Fall Stars roster, which is determined by a combination of performance as well as prospect status. Ball has been pitching out of the bullpen and overall his numbers in the AFL are not pretty: 8.10 ERA, 1.95 WHIP, and six strikeouts to nine walks. However, almost all of that damage was over one awful start where he gave up five runs on five walks without getting an out. Over his five other appearances, he has been much more respectable, allowing only one run with five strikeouts and four walks over 6 2/3 innings.</li><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.soxprospects.com/players/dubon-mauricio.htm" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Portland-Sea-Dogs/Portland-Sea-Dogs-June-26-2016/i-Pn5SzZq/0/XL/20160626_3285-XL.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><li style="margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: justify;">The subject of&nbsp;<a href="http://news.soxprospects.com/2016/10/soxprospects-featured-video-mauricio.html" target="_blank">the latest&nbsp;<i>SoxProspects.com</i>&nbsp;video</a>, <b>Mauricio Dubon</b>&nbsp;<i>(pictured, left)</i>, has slowly crept up the rankings, ending the year as the 10th ranked prospect in the&nbsp;<i>SoxProspects.com</i>&nbsp;rankings. His stock was buoyed by his strong statistical performance this year, finishing with a .323/.379/.461 line with 30 steals split between Salem and Portland. His success has continued during his time in the AFL, hitting .293/.310/.537 over 41 at-bats in Arizona, and he has also been working on his versatility, seeing time in center field for his first time as a professional. Dubon is a write-in candidate to make the Fall Stars roster along with Kopech and Ball.</li><li style="margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: justify;">If you have missed any of the early action in the Arizona Fall League or any other winter leagues, we've got you covered with our weekly Fall/Winter League Roundup. There were three from this past month: <a href="http://news.soxprospects.com/2016/10/fallwinter-league-roundup-moncada.html" target="_blank">October 17</a>, <a href="http://news.soxprospects.com/2016/10/fallwinter-league-roundup-dominican.html" target="_blank">&nbsp;October 24</a>, and <a href="http://news.soxprospects.com/2016/10/fallwinter-league-roundup-moncada_31.html" target="_blank">October 31</a>.</li><li style="margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: justify;">On the <a href="http://news.soxprospects.com/2016/10/podcast-ep-107-instructs-2016.html" target="_blank">latest edition of the SoxProspects Podcast</a>, executive editor Chris Hatfield and director of scouting Ian Cundall discussed Ian's trip to the Fall Instructional League and also answered listener submitted questions.</li><li style="margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: justify;">Ian also submitted his third and final edition of <a href="http://news.soxprospects.com/2016/10/scouting-scratch-fall-instructs-part.html" target="_blank">Scouting Scratch</a> from his time down at instructs. Players featured include&nbsp;right-handers <b>Bryan Mata</b>,&nbsp;<b>Mike Shawaryn</b>,&nbsp;<b>Stephen Nogosek</b>, <b>Joan Martinez</b>, and&nbsp;<b>Juan Perez</b>.</li><li style="margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: justify;">There was a lot of news for the Red Sox front office this week. The first domino to fall was when <b>Mike Hazen</b> was named GM of the Arizona Diamondbacks. Soon after, word broke that Red Sox&nbsp;Vice President of Amateur &amp; International Scouting <b>Amiel Sawdaye</b> would be joining Hazen as his Assistant GM. <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/redsox/2016/10/25/making-sense-red-sox-front-office-changes/0wnr1qpcgOY7EwPxyzWOqN/story.html" target="_blank">Many praised Sawdaye on his way out</a>, including the <i>Boston Globe</i>'s Alex Speier. Brian MacPherson of the <i>Providence Journal</i> explains that Sawdaye decided to go to Arizona largely because of his <a href="http://www.providencejournal.com/sports/20161026/history-with-hazen-drove-departed-red-sox-executive-to-choose-arizona" target="_blank">history with Hazen</a>. MacPherson also points out that Sawdaye was only offered the Assistant GM job in Boston due to what <b>Dave Dombrowski </b>described as a "lack of readiness". Boston will not name a GM, instead choosing to leave the position open. It is also widely speculated that current Red Sox bench coach <b>Torey Lovullo</b> will interview with the Diamondbacks for their opening manager position.&nbsp;</li><li style="margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: justify;">Other losses for the organization include the Red Sox mental skills coach, <b>Bob Tewksbury</b> whose contract was not renewed by the team <a href="http://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/redsox/2016/10/25/mental-skills-coach-bob-tewksbury-leaving-red-sox/UmMiw0maSZMO8vAQTeCzlJ/story.html" target="_blank">as Speier reported</a>. In turn, the Red Sox announced that&nbsp;<b>Brian O'Halloran</b> will retain his VP and Assistant GM titles to be joined as Assistant GM by&nbsp;<b>Eddie Romero</b>. Dombrowski explained his thinking on the <a href="http://fullcount.weei.com/sports/boston/baseball/red-sox/2016/10/25/dave-dombrowski-explains-how-he-is-reconfiguring-red-sox-front-office/" target="_blank">restructuring of the Red Sox front office</a> to <i>WEEI.com</i>'s Rob Bradford.</li><li style="margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: justify;">MLB has mentioned recently that they are thinking of moving towards an International Draft, an idea that has received huge pushback. <i>Baseball America</i>'s Ben Badler is always on top of all things related to amateur international baseball, and this is no different. Badler made a well-written argument about how any&nbsp;<a href="http://www.baseballamerica.com/international/mlb-proposes-international-draft-reforms-must-start-top/#6hqDo6iAJYMYkJsT.97" target="_blank">change would need to start at the top</a>, saying that the people creating the rules do not understand how international players are developed and ultimately signed.&nbsp;</li><li style="margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: justify;">Soon after, international trainers started to <a href="http://www.baseballamerica.com/international/trainers-plan-boycott-mlb-showcases-latin-america-response-draft-talk/#y97FrbK2UYupZbKt.97" target="_blank">threaten to have their players boycott</a> MLB's annual showcase in the Dominican Republic in protest against a potential international draft. This ultimately resulted in the event being canceled. In response, MLB responded by also <a href="http://www.baseballamerica.com/international/mlb-tells-protesting-dominican-players-take-drug-tests/#MzXCSOJ7RcDH1R65.97" target="_blank">asking many players from that event to take drug tests</a>, as Badler reports. <a href="http://www.baseballamerica.com/international/scouts-show-support-international-player-protest-mlb-events/#EUEGWgJ4fAjEcfIh.97" target="_blank">Scouts are siding with the international prospects</a> and trainers, continuing to display outward signs of frustration with the way MLB attempts to regulate this part of the game. This could have a very large impact on the game moving forward as international players continue to comprise a large portion of the players and prospects in Major League Baseball.</li><li style="margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: justify;">Hudson Belinsky of <i>Baseball America</i> has begun analyzing all of the 2016 draft classes. Earlier this month, he looked at the Red Sox's class <a href="http://www.baseballamerica.com/draft/2016-draft-report-card-boston-red-sox/#TEoqwGYqWwJCRvsc.97" target="_blank">covering a bunch of categories</a>.&nbsp;</li><li style="margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: justify;">The Paw Sox announced that they have won the 2016 Community Involvement Award from the Providence Business News. Their accomplishments include their charity program that was established in 1999 to which the team has donated over a million dollars to date, as well as having players and mascots&nbsp;appear at over 120 community events this year, tripling their 2015 appearances.</li><li style="margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: justify;">As we continue to try and bring you the best Red Sox prospect coverage out there, we are looking to add four new staff members to our team: two (2) web editors and two (2) social media specialists. I can say personally that it has been an amazing, rewarding, and fun experience working with the SP staff and would highly recommend applying. <a href="http://news.soxprospects.com/2016/10/2017help.html" target="_blank">Here are the full job listings</a>.</li></ul><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>Photo Credit: Yoan Moncada and Mauricio Dubon by Kelly O'Connor.</i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>Will Woodward is a Senior Staff Writer for SoxProspects.com. Follow him on Twitter <a href="http://www.twitter.com/spwill" target="_blank">@SPWill</a>.</i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><br /></i></div>Will Woodwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13473809780926329642noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13579837.post-83592324688997557202016-10-31T15:09:00.002-04:002016-10-31T15:09:49.413-04:00Fall/Winter League Roundup: Moncada sidelined by thumb sprain<div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://soxprospects.com/players/moncada-yoan.htm" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Portland-Sea-Dogs/Portland-Sea-Dogs-June-26-2016/i-8JFHSzJ/0/XL/20160626_3254-XL.jpg" width="180" /></a><span style="text-align: justify;">Here is a recap of the past week's action in Fall and Winter leagues. For the full list of Red Sox prospects participating in these leagues, check out our&nbsp;</span><a href="http://soxprospects.com/fall-winter.htm" style="text-align: justify;" target="_blank">Fall &amp; Winter Leagues page</a><span style="text-align: justify;">, which will be updated continuously through the offseason. This week's roundup covers the period of October 25-31.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: justify;"><u><b>Arizona Fall League</b></u></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: justify;">On Friday, the Red Sox announced that top prospect <b>Yoan Moncada </b>(<i>pictured</i>), who had not played since October 21 due to a left thumb sprain, will not play for the remainder of the Arizona Fall League season. He is scheduled to resume baseball activities in two weeks and is expected to be fully recovered in time for spring training. In six games with the Surprise Saguaros, Moncada slashed .292/.370/.458 with one double and one home run.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="text-align: justify;"></span><br /><a name='more'></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: justify;">As for those still in Arizona, <b>Mauricio Dubon </b>raked in three games this week, going 4 for 11 with two doubles, a triple, and a home run. Dubon, who broke out with an excellent season between Salem and Portland in 2016, has received playing time at his natural shortstop and in center field this fall. <b>Danny Mars </b>struggled at the plate this week, turning in an 0-for-11 performance. Hard-throwing <b>Michael Kopech </b>made his third start of the season on Thursday, tossing four innings of one-run ball with four strikeouts and no walks. <b>Jamie Callahan </b>looked good out of the bullpen in two appearances, throwing a pair of scoreless innings and striking out three. <b>Trey Ball </b>threw a clean inning on Wednesday but allowed a run in an inning of work on Saturday. <b>Jalen Beeks </b>pitched one shutout inning on Thursday, striking out a batter.&nbsp;</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: justify;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: justify;"><u><b>Venezuelan Professional Baseball League</b></u></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: justify;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: justify;">Second baseman <b>Carlos Tovar </b>played in three games this week, with Tovar going 1 for 7. Infielder <b>Deiner Lopez </b>and right-handed pitcher <b>Dedgar Jimenez </b>did not appear in games.&nbsp;</span><br /><br /><span style="text-align: justify;">Starting pitcher<b> William Cuevas</b>, who will be a minor league free agent this offseason, started on Thursday. Cuevas tossed six innings, allowing two runs on four hits and a walk while fanning six. He has a 2.73 ERA in 26 1/3 innings across five starts in Venezuela.&nbsp; </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: justify;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: justify;"><u><b>Dominican Baseball League</b></u></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: justify;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: justify;"><b>Rafael Devers </b>has gotten off to a cool start in the Dominican Baseball League, going 4 for 21 in four games this week. He did put together a big game on Wednesday, going 2 for 4 with two runs, a double, a walk, and an RBI, and is hitting .188/.257/.250 in seven games. Outfielder <b>Aneury Tavarez </b>went 2 for 8 in limited playing time.&nbsp;</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: justify;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: justify;"><b>Justin Haley </b>started on the mound on Saturday but pitched only one inning, allowing a run on two hits. <b>Victor Diaz</b> (2/3 of an inning, two runs) and <b>Roenis Elias</b><b> </b>(three innings, one run) each made one appearance out of the bullpen over the course of the week, while <b>Chandler Shepherd </b>(1 1/3 innings, one run)<b> </b>and <b>Roman Mendez</b> (two innings, one run) made two. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: justify;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: justify;"><u><b>Roberto Clemente Professional Baseball League</b></u></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: justify;"><u><b><br /></b></u></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: justify;">The Puerto Rican winter league began play on Thursday, with first-time free agent&nbsp;<b>Henry Ramos </b>playing for Mayaguez and <b>Joseph Monge </b>for Santurce. Monge has gotten off to a strong start, going 3 for 9 with a double and three RBI in his first two games, while Ramos has gone just 2 for 11 so far.&nbsp;</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: justify;">Two other players in the Red Sox organization are listed on rosters, as catcher <b>Christian Vazquez </b>is on Santurce's roster and <b>Jeremy Rivera </b>on Mayaguez's. However, neither player appeared in games this week.&nbsp; </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: justify;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: justify;"><u><b>Venezuelan Liga Paralela</b></u></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: justify;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: justify;">Boston's affiliate played in only two games this week, going 1-1, and is now 8-4 this season. Boston won 10-5 on Thursday, with <b>Lorenzo Cedrola </b>and <b>Ricardo Cubillan </b>recording three hits each to power the offense. Starting pitcher <b>Angel Padron </b>silenced the Phillies' bats with three shutout innings, striking out five, while <b>Eduard Bazardo </b>picked up the win with three innings in relief.&nbsp;</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: justify;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: justify;">Boston fell by a score of 8-3 on Friday. The bats picked up only five hits in the game, with <b>Raiwinson Lameda</b>'s 2-for-3 game standing out as one of the only offensive highlights. <b>Victor Garcia </b>took the hill and threw three strong frames, striking out four and allowing no runs. However, <b>Daniel Gonzalez </b>and <b>Alejandro Rodriguez </b>allowed three runs each in the eighth and ninth, respectively, to let the game get away.&nbsp;</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: justify;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: justify;"><u><b>Coming Up</b></u></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: justify;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: justify;">The Colombian Professional Baseball League is scheduled to begin play on Friday. We have been unable to find complete rosters as of press time, but outfielder <b>Dawill Aponte</b>, the only Colombian in the system, looks likely to be playing for Barranquilla in his native country. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: justify;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: justify;"><i>Photo Credit: Yoan Moncada by Kelly O'Connor</i></span></div><span style="text-align: justify;"><br /></span>Conor Duffyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14224342221383860505noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13579837.post-87084459241982725072016-10-31T07:00:00.000-04:002016-10-31T07:17:07.762-04:00Help Wanted: Web Editors & Social Media Specialists<div style="text-align: justify;"><b>SoxProspects.com is seeking applicants for the positions of Web Editor and Social Media Specialist for the 2017 season.&nbsp;</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Help Wanted: Web Editor (2)</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Position Overview:</b> We're looking to hire two Web Editors to join the SoxProspects staff through at least the end of the 2017 baseball season, reporting to and working with our Senior Web Editor. The primary responsibility will be to update the stats on the home page and Prospects 21-60 page every other day (or some other arrangement where the task is divvied up among the two Web Editors). The hope is that the two new Web Editors will split this daily task, which takes roughly 20 minutes per day and should be completed either late at night following the end of all games or in the morning before 8:00 am (ET). The other responsibility will be to serve as a back-up to the Senior Web Editor to help update the Site’s Transactions, Roster, and player pages as transactions occur, on an as-needed basis when the Senior Web Editor is busy or unavailable. Applicants should have regular availability to perform the above tasks, as well as reasonable flexibility during business hours (ET) if needed. Overall, the estimated time commitment is about 2 hours per week, maybe 3 hours in the heaviest few weeks of the season.&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Basic Requirements&nbsp;</b></div><ul><li style="text-align: justify;">Commitment to the position from now through the end of the 2017 season, with the potential to renew for future years</li><li style="text-align: justify;">Availability and flexibility to make stat updates and web updates as noted above</li><li style="text-align: justify;">A basic familiarity with SoxProspects.com and the Red Sox minor league system (i.e., an understanding of basic facts about the system; don’t need to be an expert)</li><li style="text-align: justify;">Perfunctory knowledge of HTML or web editing programs</li><li style="text-align: justify;">Attention to detail</li><li style="text-align: justify;">A basic understanding of baseball stats</li><li style="text-align: justify;">Professional attitude and demeanor</li><li style="text-align: justify;">Age 18+</li></ul><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Help Wanted: Social Media Specialist (2)</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Position Overview:</b> We're looking to hire two Social Media Specialists to join the SoxProspects staff through at least the end of the 2017 baseball season, working with our current Social Media Specialist as well as our managing editors. The primary responsibilities will be managing our Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube platforms. Additionally, one Social Media Specialist will be responsible for editing/producing our Podcast, while the other will take responsibility for occasional editing of the SoxProspects Wiki.&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Applicants should have flexibility to be able to post using the site’s platforms as needed, maybe a few times per day, including during business hours (ET) if needed. (Note that this does not mean being on call around the clock, but it will not work if the applicant is unavailable to post during the entire work day every day). Overall, the estimated time commitment is about 2 hours per week.&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Basic Requirements&nbsp;</b></div><ul><li style="text-align: justify;">Commitment to the position from now until the end of the 2017 season, with the potential to renew for future years</li><li style="text-align: justify;">Availability and flexibility to post as noted above</li><li style="text-align: justify;">A solid familiarity with SoxProspects.com and the Red Sox minor league system (i.e., knowledge of key players, some feel for at least recent history of the system)</li><li style="text-align: justify;">Experience with Facebook, Twitter, YouTube</li><li style="text-align: justify;">The podcast position will require basic understanding of editing podcasts (concept of audio editing, uploading, and posting; training will be provided on specifics)</li><li style="text-align: justify;">Attention to detail&nbsp;</li><li style="text-align: justify;">A perfunctory understanding of baseball stats</li><li style="text-align: justify;">Professional attitude and demeanor</li><li style="text-align: justify;">Age 18+</li></ul><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">***</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Compensation:&nbsp;</b>All four of these positions are unpaid opportunities, as are all the positions on the SoxProspects Staff. However, most staffers have found the experience on the Staff to be rewarding in other ways, such as through the camaraderie of the team, invitations to occasional staff events, and the overall experience gained. We will train whoever gets these positions from the ground up on our systems and processes. Positions at SoxProspects are a great opportunity for aspiring digital content developers to gain experience and exposure in the sports industry. It’s worth noting that members of the SoxProspects staff have gone on to write for ESPN Boston, Baseball Prospectus, the Baltimore Sun, the Sun Sentinel, MLB.com, and MiLB.com, among other outlets.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Selection Process: </b>If interested, please email mike@soxprospects.com and provide a list of relevant skills and experience with respect to the position you are applying for, by Friday, November 11, 2016. If you apply for the Social Media Specialist Position, please let us know if you are interested in the Podcast position, the Wiki position, or both (if both, whether you have a preference). Resumes are strongly encouraged. We look forward to hearing from you! We hope to make decisions on these positions in November. Although this is a volunteer position, we evaluate applications based on their professionalism, attention to detail, and merits as if this were a paid job, so please approach the application process accordingly. Familiarity with the site is a plus, but level of fandom of the Red Sox will not really be a consideration.&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div>Mike Andrewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01061970871556564069noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13579837.post-56086000700724661192016-10-24T21:21:00.000-04:002016-10-24T21:21:35.756-04:00FallWinter League Roundup: Dominican League begins, Haley solid <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YsVGSvo5Pmo/WA4YCjxukcI/AAAAAAAACs0/PPpOc9vJw8A-Hat4iK3URsIvvVtc0AjVQCLcB/s1600/20160731_3866-L.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YsVGSvo5Pmo/WA4YCjxukcI/AAAAAAAACs0/PPpOc9vJw8A-Hat4iK3URsIvvVtc0AjVQCLcB/s1600/20160731_3866-L.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YsVGSvo5Pmo/WA4YCjxukcI/AAAAAAAACs0/PPpOc9vJw8A-Hat4iK3URsIvvVtc0AjVQCLcB/s200/20160731_3866-L.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><span style="text-align: justify;">Here is a recap of the past week's action in Fall and Winter leagues. For the full list of Red Sox prospects participating in these leagues, check out our&nbsp;</span><a href="http://soxprospects.com/fall-winter.htm" style="text-align: justify;" target="_blank">Fall &amp; Winter Leagues page</a><span style="text-align: justify;">, which will be updated continuously through January. This week's roundup covers the period of October 17-24.</span><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><u><br /></u></b> <b><u>Arizona Fall League</u></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><u><br /></u></b> It was a difficult week for Sox hitters in the AFL at the plate. <b>Danny Mars</b> went 1 for 11 with a walk and <b>Yoan Moncada</b> went 1 for 10 with six strikeouts, two walks, and a stolen base.&nbsp;<b>Mauricio Dubon</b> had&nbsp;some success, going 3 for 12 with three singles and two stolen bases. He had a 3-for-4 game sandwiched between a pair of 0-for-4 outings. He saw some more action in the outfield, starting one of three games this past week in center field.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Trey Ball</b> made two appearances that produced opposite results. He tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings on Wednesday, but followed it up on&nbsp;Saturday by walking all five batters he faced on 27 pitches. <b>Jalen Beeks</b> made two appearances and allowed one run over 2 1/3 innings. He walked three and struck out three. <b>Jamie Callahan</b> had a nice week with two shutout innings that included three strikeouts. <b>Michael Kopech</b> wasn't as sharp in his second AFL start. He lasted three innings and gave up seven hits and two runs. He walked one and punched out three.</div><a name='more'></a><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><u>Venezuelan Professional Baseball League</u></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><u><br /></u></b> There wasn't a ton of action from Red Sox players in the Venezuelan League last week. <b>Carlos Tovar</b> went 1 for 7 with his&nbsp;first home run of the fall, while&nbsp;<b>Deiner Lopez</b> appeared in one game as a pinch runner.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>William Cuevas</b>, a pending minor league free agent,&nbsp;had one start, lasting 4 1/3 innings while giving up two earned runs on four hits, three walks, and two strikeouts.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><u>Dominican Baseball League</u></b><i></i><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><u><br /></u></b> The Dominican league began&nbsp;play on Thursday. Six Red Sox players were on rosters in the first week, along with two pending minor league free agents. <b>Rafael Devers</b> is the biggest name playing in the Dominican League, and he went 1 for 3 with a walk in his first game and 0 for 4 in the second game. <b>Rainel Rosario</b> went 1 for 6 with a home run and a walk. <b>Aneury Tavarez</b> pinch ran and scored a run.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Justin Haley</b> (<i>pictured</i>) was terrific in his first start of the winter. He tossed six shutout innings and allowed just one hit. The right-hander walked just one and struck out four. <b>Chandler Shepherd</b> tossed an inning of scoreless ball while recording a pair of strikeouts.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><u>Venezuelan Liga Paralela</u></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><u><br /></u></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The Boston squad went 3-2 last week and is now 6-3 for the season. <b>Pedro Castellanos</b>, making his winter debut, played in two games but put up some big numbers, going 5 for 8 with two RBI and a walk. <b>Imeldo Diaz</b>, like Castellanos joining the club after finishing up in the Fall Instructional League, was 6 for 16 with a&nbsp; home run and <b>Samuel Miranda</b> went 4 for 9 with a walk. <b>Victor Acosta</b> also continued his hot start by going 6 for 19 with a home run and two walks. He is now batting .400/.500/.657 in 35 at-bats this fall.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Boston received solid starting pitching. <b>Carlos Cortes</b>, went four innings without giving up an earned run. <b>Edilson Batista</b>, joining the club after representing Brazil in the fourth World Baseball Classic qualifier in Brooklyn in September, also threw four innings and gave up just one run.&nbsp;<b>Eduard Bazardo</b> did not allow an earned run in five innings, while&nbsp;<b>Hildemaro Requena</b> allowed two earned in five innings while striking out five and walking one. <b>Daniel Gonzalez</b> was terrific out of the bullpen, throwing four scoreless innings. <b>Jose Zacarias</b> also had a scoreless outing out of pen in a two-inning stint. Bazardo, Cortes, and <b>Jose Gonzalez</b> have each thrown eight innings without allowing an earned run this fall.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><u>Coming Up</u></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Puerto Rico's Roberto Clemente Professional Baseball League begins play on Thursday. The Nicaraguan League will also begin play tomorrow, although it is unclear if any Red Sox players will play in this league. <b>Roniel Raudes</b> would be a candidate to keep an eye on in his native country, but he is unlikely to play given his 110+ innings pitches during the season.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>Photo Credit: Justin Haley by Kelly O'Connor</i> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div>Nick Rabascohttps://plus.google.com/117180698157626174422noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13579837.post-85099677504990956812016-10-17T13:18:00.002-04:002016-10-17T15:16:47.673-04:00Fall/Winter League Roundup: Moncada shines in AFL<div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://soxprospects.com/players/moncada-yoan.htm" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Portland-Sea-Dogs/Portland-Sea-Dogs-June-26-2016/i-h5TwXtV/0/S/20160626_3271-S.jpg" width="160" /></a></div>This is the first in our series of weekly roundups of the Fall/Winter Leagues. Coverage will continue every Monday into January. For the full list of Red Sox prospects participating in these leagues, check out our&nbsp;<a href="http://soxprospects.com/fall-winter.htm" target="_blank">Fall &amp; Winter Leagues page</a>, which will be updated continuously through January. This week's roundup covers the period of October 6-16.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><u>Arizona Fall League</u></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Games started on October 6, with seven Red Sox prospects playing for the Surprise Saguaros. Third baseman <b>Yoan Moncada </b><i>(pictured, right</i>)<b>&nbsp;</b>has been the star for Surprise thus far,&nbsp;appearing in three games, going 6 for 14 with a double, home run, two RBI and five runs scored.<br /><br /><b>Mauricio Dubon</b>&nbsp;has gone 4 for 14 with a home run and an RBI in three contests, and the shortstop got his first taste of center field in Saturday's contest as he and the organization seek to further his development as a potential utility player at the MLB level. Outfielder&nbsp;<b>Danny Mars </b>has gone 3 for 12 with an RBI in his three appearances.&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><a name='more'></a><span style="text-align: justify;">On the mound, <b>Michael Kopech</b>&nbsp;made his first start of the offseason on Saturday, going three hitless innings, striking out five in a victory over Scottsdale. <b>Trey Ball</b>&nbsp;has made two relief appearances, walking three and striking out three across 3 1/3 innings. <b>Jamie Callahan </b>has also made two outings out of the bullpen, allowing four hits in two innings of work. <b>Jalen Beeks</b>&nbsp;has made just one appearance, allowing two runs on five hits in his two innings of relief.&nbsp;</span><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><u>Venezuelan Professional Baseball League</u></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Since action started on October 6, there has been limited action, with three prospects and two pending minor league free agents seeing game time.<br /><br />On the mound, <b>William Cuevas</b>&nbsp;has gone 1-0 with a 2.25 ERA in three starts for&nbsp;La Guaira. <b>Dedgar Jimenez</b>&nbsp;holds a 2.08 ERA after two relief outings.<br /><br />At the plate, <b>Cody Decker </b>and <b>Deiner Lopez</b>&nbsp;both have not recorded a hit in limited action. <b>Carlos Tovar</b>&nbsp;has gotten off to a fast start, going 3 for 8 with an RBI in his first three games.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><u>Mexican Pacific League</u></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Ali Solis</b>,&nbsp;a pending minor league free agent, is the lone player from a Sox affiliate at the end of the season currently on a roster in Mexico's top winter circuit. He has gone 1 for 8 in his first four games.&nbsp;</div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><u>Venezuelan Liga Paralela</u></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The Liga Paralela is essentially a minor league for the Venezuelan winter league. Of the 22 players on the "Boston" squad, 19 are Sox minor leaguers. Since action began on October 11, the Boston squad is 3-1. At the plate, <b>Victor Acosta&nbsp;</b>is 8 for 16 with two doubles, a home run, and 8 RBI in 16 at-bats. Catcher&nbsp;<b>Eduard Conte</b>&nbsp;has also gotten off to a good start with the bat, going 3 for 8 with two doubles and four RBI in his first two games. &nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Jose Gonzalez </b>and<b> Jose Zacarias</b>&nbsp;have each picked up a victory in limited action.<br /><br /><b><u>Coming Up</u></b><br /><b><u><br /></u></b>The offseason action will continue to pick up in the coming weeks, as the Dominican Baseball League and Puerto Rico's Roberto Clemente Professional Baseball League begin play on the 20th and 27th, respectively. Rosters are still being finalized and announced for both circuits, but a number of Red Sox farmhands can be expected to suit up in both circuits.<br /><br /><i>Photo Credit: Yoan Moncada by Kelly O'Connor.</i><br /><i><br /></i></div>John Graynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13579837.post-17568447949120964932016-10-15T15:15:00.000-04:002016-10-15T15:15:03.965-04:00SoxProspects Featured Video: Mauricio Dubon<div style="text-align: justify;">On occasion, we have been featuring videos here from the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/SoxProspectsVideo" target="_blank">SoxProspects YouTube page</a>. Today's video is of shortstop <a href="http://www.soxprospects.com/players/dubon-mauricio.htm" target="_blank"><b>Mauricio Dubon</b></a>. The video features several at-bats from the 22-year-old in Portland earlier this season, including slow-motion replays of his swing.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Dubon had a breakout season this year, batting .306 with 23 steals in Salem before receiving a mid-season promotion to Portland. In all, he played exactly 62 game at each stop, but actually improved upon many of his numbers in Double-A. The .339/.374/.538 line with the Sea Dogs propelled him up to 10th in SoxProspects.com's season-ending rankings. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div>We have been incorporating more video to supplement our regular scouting material, so check back here and on the YouTube page frequently.<br /><a name='more'></a><br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/AVBmoeiN_wg" width="560"></iframe><br /><br />Matt Huegelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13465277563847072660noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13579837.post-50033588583556244232016-10-11T22:22:00.005-04:002016-10-11T22:22:51.704-04:00Podcast Ep. #107: Instructs 2016<div style="text-align: justify;">On what proved to be the final day of the Boston Red Sox 2013 season, Chris and Ian recapped the latter’s trip to Instructs. Scouting reports included Jason Groome, CJ Chatham, Victor Diaz, Roldani Baldwin, Bryan Mata, and others… even Pablo Sandoval! Plus, we answered a slew of listener questions: Which players might get surprising, aggressive assignments next year? What will the Sox do with all of their minor league third basemen, and will Rafael Devers move off of the position? Who is the next Robby Scott… and what do you take that question to mean? These and more discussed herein!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Click through for the in-site player and download/streaming links!</div><a name='more'></a><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Got a question you'd like answered? Comment for the guys? Send them over to <a href="mailto:podcast@soxprospects.com">podcast@soxprospects.com</a> or tweet using the hashtag #AskSP.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Thanks to <a href="http://www.theludlowthieves.com/">The Ludlow Thieves</a> for providing our music.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/soxprospects-com-podcast/id309680652">Subscribe on iTunes</a> (please rate and review!)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/soxprospectscom-podcast">Subscribe on Stitcher</a> (please rate and review!)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLwy0TNxlgwVx4vdAxeV7GYjb4mfVYugZ">Listen on YouTube</a> (NEW!!!)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://play.google.com/music/listen#/ps/Ivtlkmeoitdbusqz4w7pupwmvsq">Listen on Google Play Music</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://soxprospects.com/podcast/index.htm">Podcast Archive</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" height="90" mozallowfullscreen="" msallowfullscreen="" oallowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" src="//html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/4737328/height/90/width/565/theme/custom/autonext/no/thumbnail/yes/autoplay/no/preload/no/no_addthis/no/direction/backward/no-cache/true/render-playlist/no/custom-color/000090/" style="border: none;" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="565"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div>Chris Hatfieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13995524464888490589noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13579837.post-16573012963022231442016-10-04T08:00:00.000-04:002016-10-09T20:11:17.382-04:00Scouting Scratch: Fall Instructs Part Three<div style="text-align: justify;"><i>FORT MYERS, Fla. – Each year, the Fall Instructional League provides us here at SoxProspects.com with the opportunity to catch 50 or so of the system’s young prospects in one place at the end of a long season. This year, Director of Scouting Ian Cundall spent four days at Instructs. These are more of his reports from Saturday, September 24, when the Red Sox campers took on the Twins across town at the CenturyLink Sports Complex.</i><br /><br />Though right-hander <a href="http://soxprospects.com/players/mata-bryan.htm" target="_blank"><b>Bryan Mata</b></a> is the youngest pitcher on the Red Sox instructional league roster by eight months, he showed off an intriguing arm in his inning of work. Mata had a very solid year for the Red Sox DSL 2 team and seems to have carried what he was doing over stateside. He struck out 61 in the same number of innings over 14 starts, posting a 2.80 ERA and 1.20 WHIP as a 17-year-old.<br /><br />Mata has a tall, projectable pitcher’s frame, listed at 6-foot-3, 160 pounds. He is on the thin side at present, but has a frame that looks like it could support added weight as he matures, both in his lower body and upper body. He throws from a three-quarters arm slot with a low-effort delivery. He has some whip when he comes forward, but otherwise has solid mechanics and a quick arm. <br /><a name='more'></a><br />Mata generates easy velocity and sat 92-93 mph in this outing. The fastball was heavy, with life, and given his delivery and projectability, he could add velocity as he matures. Mata complimented the fastball with a curveball and changeup. He threw his curveball 76-77 mph with the pitch showing 11-to-5 break and some depth. He threw his changeup 82-83 mph, but it was inconsistent. He threw it with good arm speed, the same as his fastball, and when he turned it over it showed late fade down and away from a left-hander for a swinging strike. <br /><br />This was a quick look at Mata, as he made quick work of the Twins, but he is someone who will likely make the jump stateside next year and is one to watch for the future as he as intriguing combination of present stuff and projection.&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />-----</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />- 2016 fifth-round pick <a href="http://www.soxprospects.com/players/shawaryn-mike.htm" target="_blank"><b>Mike Shawaryn</b> </a>sat 91-93 mph in his two innings of work. The right-hander’s changeup flashed above-average at 82-85 mph when he turned it over. He also threw one short, vertical slider at 80 mph. Long term, I am still not convinced [LINK] that Shawaryn will be a starter in the end, but he will developed as such and has the stuff that will profile in a bullpen role if necessary.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.soxprospects.com/players/nogosek-steve.htm" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Lowell-Spinners/Lowell-Spinners-July-30-2016/i-Mmj4jHp/0/L/20160730_9978-L.jpg" width="200" /></a>- Taken one round after Shawaryn, right-hander <a href="http://www.soxprospects.com/players/nogosek-steve.htm" target="_blank"><b>Stephen Nogosek</b></a>&nbsp;(<i>pictured</i>) sat 93-95 mph in his inning of work. Nogosek has a quick arm and max effort delivery with violent head whack, likely part of why he looks to be staying in the bullpen as a professional. His fastball is on the straight side, which makes it hittable, especially when he leaves it up in the zone. His slider worked 85-90 mph with short, hard, 10-to-4 break and bite. He also showed the ability to bury it down and away from a right-handed hitter. Nogosek threw a few changeups as well at 83-84 mph, but they were on the firm side. <br /><br />- Another DSL Red Sox 2 right-hander, 20-year-old Dominican <a href="http://www.soxprospects.com/players/martinez-joan.htm" target="_blank"><b>Joan Martinez</b>,</a> sat 91-93 mph. He is heavier than his listed weight of 195 pounds but has a sturdy pitcher’s frame and some projection in his upper body. He slings the ball from a three-quarters arm slot with long arm loop behind. He threw one slider at 82 mph with 10-to-4 break, but it was loose and rolled to the plate.<br /><br />- 20-year-old right-hander <a href="http://www.soxprospects.com/players/perez-juan3.htm" target="_blank"><b>Juan Perez</b></a>, who threw for the DSL Red Sox 1 this year, sat 87-89 mph in his inning of work. He has an average frame, listed at 6-foot-1, 198 pounds, with a thick lower half without much projection. His fastball had sink, but only fringe life, and he had a long, loopy arm action, throwing from a three-quarters slot. His slider at 80-82 mph flashed some potential, but was inconsistent. At its best, it showed two-plane movement and depth, but was often short and flat and he left it up in the zone. He did get two strikeouts and three swinging strikes with the pitch.&nbsp; </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><br /></i><i>Photo credit: Stephen Nogosek by Kelly O'Connor</i><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>Ian Cundall&nbsp;is Director of Scouting for SoxProspects.com. Follow him on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/IanCundall" target="_blank">@IanCundall</a>.</i><i>&nbsp;</i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><br /></i></div>Ian Cundallhttps://plus.google.com/114862263727483328373noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13579837.post-45562995204358035022016-10-03T13:00:00.000-04:002016-10-03T15:03:56.845-04:00Weekly Notes: Scouting Instructs, Moncada reassigned to the minors<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.soxprospects.com/players/bautista-gerson.htm" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Spring-Training/Red-Sox-ST-March-22-2015/i-dqFm289/0/L/20150322_8383-L.jpg" width="160" /></a></div>Here are this week's minor league notes:</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><ul><li>SoxProspects.com Director of Scouting Ian Cundall spent four days down at the Fall Instructional League, and he wrote a pair of Scouting Scratches on some of the top young players in the Red Sox system. The <a href="http://news.soxprospects.com/2016/09/scouting-scratch-fall-instructs-part.html" target="_blank">main attraction was first-round pick</a> <b>Jason Groome</b>, who showed off an outstanding curveball as well as a promising fastball. In the same article, Cundall highlighted <b>Gerson Bautista,&nbsp;</b>who has premium fastball velocity and also flashed a new pitch that had some success.&nbsp;</li></ul><div><ul><li>The <a href="http://news.soxprospects.com/2016/09/scouting-scratch-fall-instructs-part-one.html" target="_blank">other Scouting Scratch was led</a> by <b>Victor Diaz</b>, a reliever with a fastball that consistently hits 99. Cundall was able to see the huge upside that Diaz possesses in his dominant appearance, with improved secondary pitches and control. <b>Robby Sexton,&nbsp;Francisco Lopez-Soto, </b>and&nbsp;<b>Jordan Weems </b>were also covered, with Sexton showing some potential as a left-handed reliever.&nbsp;<a name='more'></a></li></ul></div><div><ul><li>The&nbsp;<a href="http://news.soxprospects.com/2016/09/2016-soxprospectscom-all-stars.html" target="_blank">2016 SoxProspects.com All-Stars</a> were announced last week, headlined by second baseman&nbsp;<b>Yoan Moncada</b>, outfielder&nbsp;<b>Andrew Benintendi</b>, third baseman<b>&nbsp;Rafael Devers</b>,<b>&nbsp;</b>and starter&nbsp;<b>Michael Kopech</b>.&nbsp;<b>&nbsp;</b></li></ul></div><div><ul><li>After going 4 for 19 with 12 strikeouts in Boston, Moncada was reassigned to the minor leagues. He will now prepare for the Arizona Fall League, which begins on October 13. Alex Speier of <i>The Boston Globe</i> compared Moncada's initial struggles with those of <b>Hanley Ramirez </b>back in 2005, when Ramirez was called up to Boston but only got two at-bats and struck out in both. Speier <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/redsox/2016/09/30/hanley-ramirez-can-relate-what-yoan-moncada-going-through/bDHE41rFAD65mDnJxHn4hK/story.html" target="_blank">talked to Ramirez</a> about what advice he had for Moncada.&nbsp;</li></ul></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>While in Boston for <b>David Ortiz</b>'s last game, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred told reporters that the Red Sox declined the option to rescind the <b>Anderson Espinoza </b>for <b>Drew Pomeranz </b>trade after it was discovered the the Padres withheld relevant medical information.&nbsp;</li></ul></div><div><ul><li>Israel went 3-0 in the Qualifying Round of the 2017 World Baseball Classic (WBC) as it earned a spot in the WBC for the first time. <b>Mike Meyers </b>came in as a defensive replacement in the clinching game last Tuesday, while free agent <b>Cody Decker </b>launched a home run and free agent&nbsp;<b>Nate Freiman </b>drew two walks.&nbsp;</li></ul></div><div><ul><li>The Portland Sea Dogs released their <a href="http://www.pressherald.com/2016/09/28/sports-digest-sea-dogs-to-open-2017-season-at-home/" target="_blank">2017 schedule</a> last week, with the season opening at home on April 6.&nbsp;</li></ul></div><div><ul><li><i>Baseball America </i>is in the midst of releasing their <a href="http://www.baseballamerica.com/minors/2016-league-top-20-prospects-index/#vrTxMwkcO78ipKzK.97" target="_blank">top 20 prospects for each league</a>. So far the Red Sox have <b>Luis Alexander Basabe </b>ranked ninth in the South Atlantic League,&nbsp;<b>Lorenzo Cedrola</b> ranked 18th in the Gulf Coast League, and <b>Bobbly Dalbec,</b>&nbsp;<b>C.J. Chatham, Tyler Hill, </b>and <b>Josh Pennington </b>ranked ninth, 13th, 15th, and 16th, respectively, in the New York-Penn League.&nbsp;</li></ul><div><i>Photo Credit: Gerson Bautista by Kelly O'Connor</i></div></div><div><i><br /></i></div></div>Jim Crowellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07242721829102248162noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13579837.post-649081739987899892016-09-29T15:00:00.000-04:002016-09-29T15:00:05.561-04:002016 SoxProspects.com All-Stars<div style="text-align: justify;">While not a single Red Sox player graduated from prospect status during the 2016 season, the newly crowned American League Eastern Division champions had a distinctly homegrown feel. The team gave at least 50 at-bats to at eight players who had been named SoxProspects.com All-Stars during their ascent to the majors: <b>Andrew Benintendi</b>, <b>Mookie Betts</b>, <b>Xander Bogaerts</b>, <b>Jackie Bradley Jr.</b>, <b>Dustin Pedroia</b>, <b>Travis Shaw</b>, <b>Blake Swihart</b>, and <b>Christian Vazquez</b>. With that backdrop, we present the 2016 SoxProspects.com All-Stars.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.soxprospects.com/players/romanski-jake.htm" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Portland-Sea-Dogs/Portland-Sea-Dogs-May-28-2016/i-hsdbc8M/0/M/20160528_1DX_4658-M.jpg" width="160" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Catcher: <a href="http://www.soxprospects.com/players/romanski-jake.htm" target="_blank">Jake Romanski</a></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The 25-year old backstop turned in a solid season both offensively and defensively, earning honors as an Eastern League All-Star to go with his SoxProspects.com recognition. In 90 games with Double-A Portland, Romanski hit .308/.338/.410 with 22 doubles. While power is not a major part of his game, he did set a career high with four round trippers. He also solidified his reputation as a strong handler of pitchers&nbsp;and threw out 49 percent of attempted base stealers. It was the first all-star selection for the 2013 14th-round pick out of San Diego State.</div><a name='more'></a><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.soxprospects.com/players/marrero-chris.htm" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Pawtucket-Red-Sox/PawSox-June-9-2016/i-BK4jSjv/0/M/20161609_7D_1144-M.jpg" width="160" /></a></div><b>First Base: <a href="http://www.soxprospects.com/players/marrero-chris.htm" target="_blank">Chris Marrero</a></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The minor league veteran was probably not the most likely Marrero cousin to get SoxProspects All-Star recognition, but Marrero’s monster campaign with the PawSox made him an easy choice. A first-round pick of the Washington Nationals back in 2006, the one-time top 30 prospect had arguably the best season of his minor league career. He earned a league All-Star nod for the fourth time in his professional career&nbsp;and celebrated by winning both the Triple-A All-Star game MVP honors and the Home Run Derby. In non-exhibition play, Marrero hit .284/.344/.494, placing second in the International League with 55 extra-base hits. The 27-year old is a minor league free agent this winter.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.soxprospects.com/players/moncada-yoan.htm" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Portland-Sea-Dogs/Portland-Sea-Dogs-August-27/i-gPVPDnW/0/M/20160827_0452-M.jpg" width="160" /></a></div><b>Second Base: <a href="http://www.soxprospects.com/players/moncada-yoan.htm" target="_blank">Yoan Moncada</a></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Nothing better signifies the dominant individual performance the Red Sox had in their system more than the fact that Moncada was named the top player in all of the minor leagues in 2016 by Baseball America but did not earn SoxProspects.com Player of the Year recognition. A difficult introduction to the major leagues doesn’t dampen the incredible season of a player who looks to enter 2017 as baseball’s top prospect. Beginning the year with Salem, Moncada cruised to a .307/.427/.496 line with 34 stolen bases before getting the call to Double-A in late June. He barely skipped a beat, making up for the loss in a few points of batting average with even more impressive slugging numbers, battering Eastern League pitchers to the tune of .277/.379/.531. Across the minor league season, Moncada totaled 31 doubles, six triples, 15 home runs, 45 steals, and 94 runs scored.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.soxprospects.com/players/dubon-mauricio.htm" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Portland-Sea-Dogs/Portland-Sea-Dogs-August-27/i-wVFGctn/0/M/20160827_0498-M.jpg" width="160" /></a></div><b>Shortstop: <a href="http://www.soxprospects.com/players/dubon-mauricio.htm" target="_blank">Mauricio Dubon</a></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">At the outset of 2016, all eyes in Salem were on Moncada, Benintendi, and Devers, but their lineup featured a fourth player in the system’s top 20. Dubon had a season every bit as effective as his more ballyhooed teammates on his way to getting recognized as the system’s Breakout Player of the Year. The 2013 26th-round pick showed an impressive batting eye and contact skill with Salem, hitting .306/387/.379 in the difficult environs of the Carolina League. After a late-June promotion to Double-A, Dubon added power to his game, delivering a .339.371.538 line and 32 extra-base hits in 270 plate appearances. He led the organization with 157 hits and 101 runs scored, becoming the first Red Sox minor leaguer to register both 150 hits and 100 runs since <b>Lew Ford </b>did so as a member of the Low A Augusta GreenJackets back in 2000.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.soxprospects.com/players/dalbec-bobby.htm" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Lowell-Spinners/Lowell-Spinners-July-30-2016/i-76vB4XL/0/M/20160730_9542-M.jpg" width="160" /></a></div><b>Third Base: <a href="http://www.soxprospects.com/players/dalbec-bobby.htm" target="_blank">Bobby Dalbec</a></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The only member of the 2016 draft class to earn All-Star honors, Dalbec needed only 143 plate appearances and 34 games to establish himself as one of the elite performers of the minor league season. The fourth-round pick out of the University of Arizona was impressive in the College World Series – as a pitcher. He earned the start in the deciding game three, taking the loss despite striking out eight and not allowing an earned run in 5 2/3 innings as the Wildcats fell to Coastal Carolina. His postseason stat line at the plate was more mixed and showed a potential issue with strikeouts, but Dalbec’s plus raw power and preference for hitting led the Red Sox to take him as a third baseman. That decision paid off in Dalbec’s pro debut, as he abused New York-Penn League pitchers with a .386/.427/.674 with 13 doubles and seven home runs.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.soxprospects.com/players/benintendi-andrew.htm" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Portland-Sea-Dogs/Portland-Sea-Dogs-June-26-2016/i-xNZTCDw/0/M/20160626_3756-M.jpg" width="160" /></a></div><b>Outfield: <a href="http://www.soxprospects.com/players/benintendi-andrew.htm" target="_blank">Andrew Benintendi</a></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The seventh overall pick of the 2015 draft got off to a hot start as a professional, posting video game-type numbers on his way to winning SoxProspects.com Offensive Player of the Year. Benintendi followed that with a first full season that has arguably been even more impressive on his way to winning top Offensive Player honors again. Placed in Salem to begin the season, the Carolina League simply did not provide a ton of resistance. Benintendi’s ripped off a .341/.413/.563 line with 15 walks and only nine strikeouts before getting promoted to Double-A on May 16. Portland gave Benintendi a bit more trouble at first, as he went 16 for his first 78. That proved to be little more than a blip, as he hit .340/.408/.629 in his last 43 games, earning him a promotion directly to the major leagues. Benintendi’s outstanding play has continued in the major leagues, hitting .322/.386/.522 through his first 29 games, cementing his spot on the playoff roster and making him an early favorite for the 2017 Rookie of the Year award.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.soxprospects.com/players/tavarez-aneury.htm" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 01em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Portland-Sea-Dogs/Portland-Sea-Dogs-May-29-2016/i-5QpXzcH/0/M/20160529_1DX_5649-M.jpg" width="160" /></a></div><b>Outfield: <a href="http://www.soxprospects.com/players/tavarez-aneury.htm" target="_blank">Aneury Tavarez</a></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In his sixth year in the &nbsp;Red Sox system, Tavarez turned in by far his best campaign, earning recognition as an Eastern League All-Star and the Portland Sea Dogs team MVP. The 24-year-old from the Dominican Republic had never previously topped either a .300 batting average or .450 slugging percentage&nbsp;but exploded for a .335/.379/.506 line in 106 games for the Sea Dogs. Tavarez led the organization with 13 triples&nbsp;and added 20 stolen bases including two in a short stint at Triple-A Pawtucket. He closed the season on a 12-game hitting streak that saw him go 20 for 53 with 11 runs scored.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.soxprospects.com/players/hill-tyler.htm" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Lowell-Spinners/Lowell-Spinners-June-17-2016/i-mk6FLMs/0/M/20160617_5704-M.jpg" width="160" /></a></div><b>Outfield: <a href="http://www.soxprospects.com/players/hill-tyler.htm" target="_blank">Tyler Hill</a></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">A 19th-round pick in the 2014 draft, Hill took a huge step forward in his second full season. Despite a solid physical build, Hill showed little power in his 2015 debut, with only five extra-base hits – all doubles – in 43 games between Lowell and the Gull Coast League. It took only nine games for him to match that total in 2016, kicking off a season where he would rank as the Stedler Division Champions most consistent performer. &nbsp;Hill hit .332/.400/.487 while leading the squad in hits, runs, doubles, triples, and runs batted in. He was the first member of the Spinners to post a .400 on-base percentage in over 200 at-bats since <b>Ryan Westmoreland </b>back in 2009.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.soxprospects.com/players/devers-rafael.htm" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Spring-Training/Red-Sox-ST-March-19-2015/i-2MgJVpr/0/M/20150319_4015-M.jpg" width="160" /></a></div><b>Designated Hitter: <a href="http://www.soxprospects.com/players/devers-rafael.htm" target="_blank">Rafael Devers</a></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">What’s wrong with Rafael Devers? The question was asked often in the early part of 2016, as the 19-year-old phenom got off to a .180/.268/.293 start through 40 games for High-A Salem. After entering the year as the system’s second-ranked prospect, a third straight recognition as a SoxProspects.com All-Star seemed in doubt. An eight-game hitting streak beginning May 28, and a five-hit game on June 9 gave an indication that Devers was adjusting to Carolina League pitching, and he cast aside all doubt in the second half. He was dominant in July, hitting .357/.408/.670, followed by a solid .328/.357/.487 August line. Devers also showed improved patience in his approach, taking 40 free passes, up from 24 in 2015.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.soxprospects.com/players/kopech-michael.htm" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Lowell-Spinners/Lowell-Spinners-June-17-2016/i-h7dLNNz/0/M/20160617_5039-M.jpg" width="160" /></a></div><b>Starting Pitcher: <a href="http://www.soxprospects.com/players/kopech-michael.htm" target="_blank">Michael Kopech&nbsp;</a></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Kopech was not seen as a likely All-Star selection in the beginning of the season, but that was mostly due to off-field issues. After a suspension ended his 2015 season early, Kopech broke his hand in an altercation with a teammate that delayed the start of his 2016 season. Once he debuted near the end of June he was unhittable, lighting up radar guns while triple-digit heat and a potentially plus slider. The former first-round pick pitched to a 2.25 ERA with Salem while holding batters to a .147 average. He struck out 82 batters in only 52 innings but also walked 29. The 20-year-old did have some rough starts where he struggled with his control, including his last start of the regular season where he walked five and allowed six runs while only recording one out. While he walked five batters twice in 12 starts with Salem, he had double-digit strikeouts four times, showing the dominance every organization wants out of their pitching prospects.&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.soxprospects.com/players/haley-justin.htm" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Pawtucket-Red-Sox/PawSox-July-31-2016/i-LRGFLGL/0/M/20160731_3866-M.jpg" width="160" /></a></div><b>Starting Pitcher: <a href="http://www.soxprospects.com/players/haley-justin.htm" target="_blank">Justin Haley</a></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">After going 5-16 with a 5.15 ERA over 124 innings with Portland last season, Haley looked like a different pitcher this season with the Sea Dogs, sporting a 2.20 ERA over 61 1/3 innings before being promoted to Pawtucket. His numbers took a bit of a step back with Pawtucket but he still had good success, going 8-6 with a 3.59 ERA over 85 1/3 innings. Between the two levels, he struck out 126 batters over 146 2/3 innings while walking 45. Haley works deeper into games than almost anyone else in the system, and he pitched eight innings in three of his 15 starts with the PawSox.&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.soxprospects.com/players/raudes-roniel.htm" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Spring-Training/Red-Sox-ST-March-18-2016/i-RGtPVb5/0/M/20160318_7979-M.jpg" width="160" /></a></div><b>Starting Pitcher: <a href="http://www.soxprospects.com/players/raudes-roniel.htm" target="_blank">Roniel Raudes</a></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Starting the season as the second-youngest player in the South Atlantic League, Raudes showed impressive poise and command for an 18-year-old in his first full season assignment. With a fastball that sits in the high-80s and an average curveball and changeup, Raudes does not have tremendous stuff, but he was still able to notch 104 strikeouts over 113 1/3 innings. He has been a great surprise after signing for $250,000 out of Nicaragua in 2014, and his 3.65 ERA and 1.19 WHIP were the best for a Greenville starter this season. He walked 2.3 batters per nine innings and only hit one batter, a very impressive total for one of the system’s most unique prospects, and this is the second consecutive year that he has been named a SoxProspects.com All-Star.&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.soxprospects.com/players/diaz-jhonathan.htm" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Portraits/2016/i-fPLQw5N/0/M/2016_Diaz_Jhonathan-M.jpg" width="133" /></a></div><b>Starting Pitcher: <a href="http://www.soxprospects.com/players/diaz-jhonathan.htm" target="_blank">Jhonathan Diaz</a></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Diaz was named the SoxProspects.com Comeback Player of the Year after his return from a knee injury that sidelined him for the entire 2015 season. Over 60 innings in the Gulf Coast League, Diaz went 4-4 with a 2.85 ERA while walking 18 and striking out 57. Diaz’s ERA sat at 3.60 after his first 35 innings, but he finished off the season on fire, with an ERA of 1.80 over 25 innings. The left-hander from Venezuela just turned 20 and while there is limited scouting information available on him, he will be a player to keep an eye on in the 2017 season.&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.soxprospects.com/players/cosart-jake.htm" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Lowell-Spinners/Lowell-Spinners-July-2-2015/i-prxKJv9/0/M/20150702_3105-M.jpg" width="160" /></a></div><b>Relief Pitcher: <a href="http://www.soxprospects.com/players/cosart-jake.htm" target="_blank">Jake Cosart</a></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The 2016 SoxProspects.com Pitcher of the Year, Cosart earned the honors due in large part to his absurd stretch from July 18 to August 31. Over that time he allowed one run on 12 hits over 23 innings, walking 12 and striking out 33. That was good for a microscopic 0.39 ERA and in the middle of that run he was promoted to Salem from Greenville. Cosart has a violent delivery that limits his ability to consistently throw strikes, but it also allows him to generate plus velocity and miss a lot of bats. In all Cosart pitched 70 2/3 innings of relief this season, striking out 104 while holding batters to a .172 batting average. Only Kopech had a better strikeout rate than Cosart over the course of the season.&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.soxprospects.com/players/scott-robby.htm" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Pawtucket-Red-Sox/PawSox-July-2-2016/i-73zJM6M/0/M/20160702_7D_9509-M.jpg" width="160" /></a></div><b>Relief Pitcher: <a href="http://www.soxprospects.com/players/scott-robby.htm" target="_blank">Robby Scott</a></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Scott’s strong 2016 season may end with him on Boston’s postseason roster. The 2016 Lou Gorman Award recipient made his major league debut on September 2, and he has not allowed a run over his first 4 2/3 innings. Scott started the season in Pawtucket where the left-handed reliever pitched to a 2.54 ERA over 78 innings. He was particularly tough on left-handed batters, as they hit only .147 against him with 31 strikeouts in 27 2/3 innings. Signed out of Independent ball in 2011, Scott has performed at each level of the minors, and now he is contributing in Boston in the middle of a pennant race. While he may not be the pitching equivalent of Daniel Nava just yet, Scott has already offered a tremendous return on investment for the Red Sox. &nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.soxprospects.com/players/taylor-benjamin.htm" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Portland-Sea-Dogs/Portland-Sea-Dogs-August-27/i-NFpxXHh/0/M/20160827_0183-M.jpg" width="160" /></a></div><b>Relief Pitcher: <a href="http://www.soxprospects.com/players/taylor-benjamin.htm" target="_blank">Ben Taylor</a></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">A seventh-round pick in 2015 from the University of South Alabama, Taylor enjoyed a strong 2016 season with Salem and Portland. After beginning the year in Salem’s rotation he was quickly shifted to the bullpen, where his performance took another step forward. With over 11 strikeouts per nine innings and a 1.08 WHIP, it is tough to find any holes in Taylor’s performance. He showed good control, an ability to miss bats, and was comfortable working multiple innings out of the bullpen. His best performance came on June 6 for Salem when he struck out 10 while allowing only two hits over four innings. He was promoted to Portland less than two weeks later, where he picked up five saves and kept the opposing team off the board in all but six of his 21 appearances.&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>Story compiled by Jim Crowell and James Dunne. Jim is a Senior Staff Writer at SoxProspects.com, Follow him on Twitter&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/CrowellJim" target="_blank">@CrowellJim</a>. James is also a Senior Staff Writer, <a href="https://twitter.com/JamesMDunne" target="_blank">@JamesMDunne</a> on Twitter.</i><br /><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>Photo Credits: Jhonathan Diaz by&nbsp;Brita Meng Outzen/Boston Red Sox; All others by Kelly O'Connor</i><br /><br /></div>James Dunnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10422452981892252778noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13579837.post-20935783792406654992016-09-29T08:00:00.000-04:002016-09-29T08:00:18.241-04:00Scouting Scratch: Fall Instructs Part Two, Jason Groome and Gerson Bautista<div style="text-align: justify;"><i>FORT MYERS, Fla. – Each year, the Fall Instructional League provides us here at SoxProspects.com with the opportunity to catch 50 or so of the system’s young prospects in one place at the end of a long season. This year, Director of Scouting Ian Cundall spent four days at Instructs. These are his reports from Saturday, September 24, when the Red Sox took on the Twins across town at the CenturyLink Sports Complex.</i><br /><br /><a href="http://www.soxprospects.com/players/images/groome.jason.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.soxprospects.com/players/images/groome.jason.jpg" /></a>The 12th pick overall in June’s draft, left-hander <a href="http://www.soxprospects.com/players/groome-jason.htm" target="_blank"><b>Jason Groome</b></a>, started the game, throwing two scoreless innings, striking out three and walking one. The first thing that stands out with Groome is his build, as he does not look like a typical 18-year-old. He has a wide, mature frame and looks all of his listed 6-foot-6, 220 pounds. An up-close look at him gave me the impression that he has a body that might need some watching, given how he is built now and his youth. He has the frame to support added weight, but whether that is good or bad weight will depend on how he maintains his body and how much work he puts in off the field, both during the offseason and in-season.<br /><br />Groome’s delivery is remarkably easy, and even though his velocity was down a tick from when I saw him earlier this month with Short-Season A Lowell, he still sat 89-92 mph, touching 93 mph. Given that Groome is at the end of a long year spanning high school and pro ball, it is not a surprise that his velocity is down a tick. With the ease of his delivery and arm action, as well as his youth, as he matures I expect him to add a few miles per hour to the pitch, though I would not be surprised if he sat in the low-90s generally, with the ability to ramp up if the situation calls for it.<br /><br /><a name='more'></a>Because of his height and the extension he gets over his front side, the pitch had downhill plane and late life, jumping on hitters. The pitch elicited some bad swings and got two strikeouts, both against left-handed hitters. The pitch showed arm-side run at times and cut on others, as shown on the two strikeouts. On the first, he started the fastball just off the plate and brought it back over the outside corner to freeze the hitter. On the second, the pitch showed cut on the inner half, again freezing the hitter. <br /><br />Groome’s control did leave him a few times during the outing. He did a good job fighting back on one occasion in the first inning, retiring the hitter, but he did lose another batter in the second. His command and control of the fastball—<a href="http://news.soxprospects.com/2016/09/scouting-scratch-jason-groome.html" target="_blank">particularly considering his issues when I saw him earlier this season</a>—still need refinement and will be key in determining how quickly he progresses through the system. <br /><br />Groome’s best pitch, as expected, was his curveball, and it showed better on this occasion than in the outing I saw with Lowell. He threw it 75-79 mph, and the pitch flashed plus-plus potential. It is a true weapon, one of the best curveballs I have seen from a minor leaguer this year—across all levels. The pitch has 1-to-7 shape, depth, and late finish. He has advanced feel for the offering and really snaps it off. He can throw the pitch for strikes or bury it down and out of the zone to get a swing-and-miss when ahead in the count. <br /><br />Groome also featured his changeup a few times during the outing, an offering he has had to throw very little before turning pro. While the pitch is definitely behind his curveball, it has above-average potential. Groome threw the pitch 81-83 mph. His arm speed varied some when throwing it, but the pitch showed late downward action at its best. <br /><br />It was only a two-inning stint, but Groome’s advanced three-pitch mix was on display, and it’s not a stretch to project all three to be at least above-average, if not better. Given his size, delivery, youth, and left-handedness, he has the makings of one of the top pitching prospects in not just the Red Sox system, but all of baseball. There are definitely areas to improve upon, and his youth and frame bring in some risk to the equation, but Groome’s upside on the mound is significant. <br /><br />-----<br /><br /><a href="http://www.soxprospects.com/players/bautista-gerson.htm" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Spring-Training/Red-Sox-ST-March-22-2015/i-dqFm289/0/L/20150322_8383-L.jpg" width="160" /></a>This is the third consecutive year I have seen 21-year-old right-hander <a href="http://www.soxprospects.com/players/bautista-gerson.htm" target="_blank"><b>Gerson Bautista</b></a> at Instructs, and he looks to have taken a step forward both with his delivery and secondary offerings. Bautista—who split this year between the Lowell and Greenville bullpens, striking out a batter an inning over 35 1/3 innings—is still tall and lanky with a thin waist, but his arm strength is legitimate. His arm action looked a little <a href="http://news.soxprospects.com/2016/06/scouting-scratch-josh-pennington.html" target="_blank">cleaner than it did when he was in Lowell</a>. It is still long with a loop in back, but looked a little shorter coming forward, and that allowed him to stay on line to the plate better. He also landed a little softer and more on balance. Because of the effort that still remains in his delivery, his command and control will come and go, as it did in this outing, but he has a live arm and his secondary offerings showed potential. <br /><br />Bautista has a quick arm and sat 95-97 mph, with the pitch showing life. More encouragingly, Bautista showed off a 91-93 mph splitter, something he didn’t show when he was in Lowell this year, where his primary secondary was his slider and he mixed in a below-average changeup in the mid-80s. The splitter showed late dive, and even though there is not much separation with his fastball, it still worked due to its late movement, looking like a fastball until diving late down in the zone. Bautista also threw one breaking ball at 86 mph that was likely a slider but looked more like a power curveball, as it was vertical and lacked tilt. <br /><br />Like Victor Diaz, <a href="http://news.soxprospects.com/2016/09/scouting-scratch-fall-instructs-part-one.html" target="_blank">who I saw the day before</a>, Bautista is another right-hander with premium velocity whose secondaries seem to have a taken a step forward. Bautista still has a long way to go developmentally, but the improvements he has made going back to 2014 are impressive. If he continues to carry those forward, he has the upside of a major league-quality reliever. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>Photo credit: Jason Groome by Rick Rosenfeld and Gerson Bautista by Kelly O'Connor</i><br /><i>&nbsp;</i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>Ian Cundall&nbsp;is Director of Scouting for SoxProspects.com. Follow him on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/IanCundall" target="_blank">@IanCundall</a>.</i><i>&nbsp;</i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>&nbsp;</i></div><div></div></div>Ian Cundallhttps://plus.google.com/114862263727483328373noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13579837.post-21518843873297554862016-09-27T08:00:00.000-04:002016-09-27T08:00:18.753-04:00Scouting Scratch: Fall Instructs Part One<div style="text-align: justify;"><i>FORT MYERS, Fla. – Each year, the Fall Instructional League provides us here at SoxProspects.com with the opportunity to catch 50 or so of the system’s young prospects in one place at the end of a long season. This year, Director of Scouting Ian Cundall spent four days at Instructs. These are his reports from Thursday, September 23, when the Red Sox campers took on the Twins at Fenway South.</i><br /><br /><a href="http://soxprospects.com/players/images/diaz.victor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://soxprospects.com/players/images/diaz.victor.jpg" /></a><span id="goog_1442725289"></span><span id="goog_1442725290"></span>The standout pitcher on the day was 22-year-old right-hander <a href="http://soxprospects.com/players/diaz-victor.htm" target="_blank"><b>Victor Diaz</b></a>. Diaz’s numbers with Greenville this year—a 3.88 ERA and 1.49 WHIP with 25 walks to 63 strikeouts in 60 1/3 innings—do not really stand out, particularly considering his age. But even though he is already 22, he is relatively new to pro ball having only signed when he was 20 years old. Looking further into his season, however, reveals bad performances in the first half of the season leading to a 6.59 ERA and 1.78 WHIP in his first 28 2/3 innings with 12 walks and 23 strikeouts. But in the second half, Diaz put up a 1.42 ERA and 1.23 WHIP in 31 2/3 innings with 40 strikeouts and 13 walks. Furthermore, to end the year, Diaz did not allow a run in 16 2/3 innings over August and September, striking out 25 hitters and allowing only 8 hits and 9 walks.<br /><br />In his inning of work, Diaz struck out the side, showing off not only his impressive fastball but improved secondary stuff and the ability to locate when he is locked in. Diaz is listed at 6-foot-3, 190 pounds, but looks heavier than that. He is filled out and has a sturdy pitcher’s frame with minimal projection remaining. Because of his size, he does have effort in his delivery and a lot of moving parts. As a result, Diaz has struggled in the past to lock into his three-quarters arm slot at times, but in this outing, he was repeating his delivery well. Diaz works exclusively from the stretch and sat at 99 mph for every fastball he threw. The pitch has late life and showed bat-missing ability, eliciting two swing-and-misses against right-handers. If he can harness his command and stay within himself like he did in this outing, the pitch has elite potential and is easily one of the best fastballs in the system. <br /><br /><a name='more'></a>The more encouraging aspect of this outing was that his secondary pitches both flashed at least average, with his slider flashing above-average-to-plus. When he feels his slider like he did in this outing it is brutal on hitters, coming in 91-93 mph with 10-to-4 break and short, hard bite. He got two swing-and-misses with the pitch and two strikeouts, showing the ability to both bury the pitch down and away from right-handers and throw it for a strike and freeze the hitter. Diaz also threw a few 90-92 mph changeups. The change is behind his slider, and he slightly slowed his arm down on some, but the pitch did show drop and elicited two swing-and-misses as well.<br /><br />Diaz is one of the more intriguing bullpen arms in the Red Sox system. His stuff has always been electric, but he seems to have made significant strides this season and the confidence he gained from his late-season success carried over to this outing. Given his shaky command profile, he will likely always be susceptible to a blow-up outing, but having shown the ability to keep the ball in the park (only two home runs allowed in his career, spanning 93 innings) and on the ground (posting a 2.57 groundball to fly ball ratio this year), he may be able to minimize the damage from any command lapses. There is definitely still risk, but the upside is there for a potential late-inning reliever.<br /><br />-----<br /><br />Left-hander <a href="http://soxprospects.com/players/sexton-robby.htm" target="_blank"><b>Robby Sexton</b></a>, the club’s 14th-round pick this June, got the start, throwing two innings and striking out five. In six starts in the Gulf Coast League, the left-hander was dominant—as one might hope a college draftee would be in the GCL—allowing just 4 runs over 20 innings in six starts, striking out 23 while walking just one.<br /><br />Sexton has a sturdy, filled-out pitcher’s frame, listed at 6-foot-0, 225 pounds and showing minimal projection. He starts on the first base side of the rubber and throws from a three-quarters arm slot, utilizing a high leg kick and slight trunk twist before coming forward. His fastball sat 88-90 mph, topping out at 91 mph, with natural cut. The pitch jumped on hitters thanks to deception in his delivery from keeping the ball behind his body. He did a good job locating the pitch, as one might expect from his numbers, and had hitters fooled, getting four strikeouts with it, three looking. With his command and movement, the pitch has average potential and could be especially effective against left-handed hitters. <br /><br />Sexton complimented his fastball with a changeup and breaking ball. His changeup is more advanced at this point. He has advanced feel for the pitch, throwing it with deceptive arm speed, the same as his fastball. He threw it 82-83 mph, and the pitch showed drop when he turned it over down in the zone. His breaking ball was on the slurvy side at 76-80 mph. The pitch had two-plane break, but tended to roll to the plate at lower velocities. At the upper end of that velocity range, it showed some bite and looked more like a slider. The pitch needs some refinement, but if he can consistently throw the harder version, it has the potential to be a decent alternative to his other two pitches to give hitters another look. <br /><br />Long term, Sexton’s future lies in the bullpen. Given the demand for left-handed relievers, especially those who excel against hitters on the same side, he is someone that bears watching next season as he makes his first foray into full season ball.<br /><br />-----<br /><br />Another reliever on the first day was the Red Sox 25th-round pick in June out of Allen County Community College, right-hander <a href="http://soxprospects.com/players/soto-francisco.htm" target="_blank"><b>Francisco Lopez-Soto</b></a>. Lopez-Soto who signed for just a $40,000 bonus, had a nondescript professional debut, allowing 9 runs on 12 hits and 8 walks in 12 innings over nine appearances while notching six strikeouts. Listed at 6-foot-5, 225 pounds, Lopez-Soto has a solid pitcher’s frame and some projection remaining. He throws from a low three-quarters arm slot and has a jerky delivery with an inconsistent release. He came across his body at times and struggled to repeat his delivery. While his mechanics and arm slot will be tough on right-handers, left-handers get a very good look at the ball. His fastball sat 92-94 mph and he mixed in a long, loopy 11-to-5 curveball at 72-75 mph, a horizontal slider at 84 mph, and a firm changeup at 84 mph. All of his secondary offerings need refinement, and given his arm slot, focusing on the slider would make the most sense, but he did not show much feel for it in this outing. <br /><br />-----<br /><br />Drafted as a catcher, <a href="http://soxprospects.com/players/weems-jordan.htm" target="_blank"><b>Jordan Weems</b></a> never showed enough ability offensively to stick, even after a move to first base to start this season. After hitting .119 in 22 games for Portland to start his age 23 season, Weems was sent back to extended spring training to convert to pitching. Weems showed some ability in eight Gulf Coast League appearances, allowing just 6 hits, 4 walks, and a hit batter over 17 innings, only giving up 2 runs but striking out just 10. After a promotion to Short-Season A Lowell, the strikeouts went up, as he tallied 20 in 15 2/3 innings, but he also allowed 19 hits and 8 walks as 12 runners crossed the plate.<br /><br />In his outing on Friday, Weems showed off a strong arm, but also that he has a long way to go. Weems has an athletic pitcher’s frame and a quick, live arm. He has a short arm action with some effort, including a head whack in his delivery. His fastball sat 92-94 mph, but it is on the straight side and is hittable as a result. He throws his changeup 80-83 mph with deceptive arm speed. It will flash fade down and away from a left-handed hitter, and he has some feel for it, but it is inconsistent. He throws his curveball 71-73 mph with long 12-to-6 break, but he does not snap that pitch off consistently either.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>Photo credit: Victor Diaz by milb.com</i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>Ian Cundall&nbsp;is Director of Scouting for SoxProspects.com. Follow him on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/IanCundall" target="_blank">@IanCundall</a>.</i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div>Ian Cundallhttps://plus.google.com/114862263727483328373noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13579837.post-58916354734155326402016-09-26T18:00:00.000-04:002016-09-26T18:02:22.248-04:00Weekly Notes: Fall Instructional League begins <div style="text-align: justify;">Here are this week's minor league notes:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.soxprospects.com/players/groome-jason.htm" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: justify;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ARjOe1BAL3E/V-iTjJ1dDbI/AAAAAAAAApA/r7dV09MJyKkeFUQVQ9A5KPTyCFQ9akKFgCLcB/s200/groome_debut1-10368.jpg" width="250" /></a></div><ul><li style="margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: justify;"><i>SoxProspects.com</i> <a href="http://news.soxprospects.com/2016/09/podcast-ep-106-aj-no-teller.html" target="_blank">put out a new podcast</a> last Monday to discuss and recap the minor league season. They talked about each affiliate's season and the crew mentioned players from each team that stood out. The Padres' scandal involving their trade with Boston was also discussed, along with much more.</li><li style="margin-bottom: 10px;"><div style="text-align: justify;">The Fall Instructional League games got underway on Thursday down in Fort Myers, and <i>SoxProspects.com's</i> Director of Scouting Ian Cundall was there to catch some of the action. Check out his <a href="https://twitter.com/IanCundall?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor" target="_blank">Twitter feed</a> for some notes on <b>Jason Groome</b>, <b>Pablo Sandoval</b>, new draft picks, and more.</div></li><li style="margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: justify;">Catchers <b>Alan Marrero</b> and <b>Alberto Schmidt</b> were selected in the Puerto Rican League's draft and have been added to Criollos de Caguas' roster. Marrero is an 18-year-old who was taken by Boston in the eighth round this past June. He was just 5 for 54 with a home run this year in the GCL but is highly thought of as a defensive catcher. Schmidt was also selected in the 2016 draft, in the 16th round. He is also very solid defensively but was just 8 for 41 with three doubles for the GCL Sox this year.<a name='more'></a></li><li style="margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: justify;">The Red Sox on currently on an 11-game winning streak and top prospect <b>Yoan Moncada</b> has not appeared once during the streak. He has struck out in nine consecutive plate appearances, and manager <b>John Farrell</b> has been using <b>Marco Hernandez</b> in pinch-running situations ever since Moncada forgot how many outs there were in Toronto. WEEI's Rob Bradford <a href="http://fullcount.weei.com/sports/boston/baseball/red-sox/2016/09/21/it-hasnt-been-easy-being-yoan-moncada-of-late/" target="_blank">spoke to Moncada about his tough situation</a>. On the bright side, Moncada is getting valuable experience being around a winning clubhouse in a pennant race.</li><li style="margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: justify;">Another guy who spent a majority of the 2016 season in the minors and is now with the big club is <b>Robby Scott</b>. He has made some&nbsp;major contributions down the stretch and it looks like the left-handed reliever has a chance to make the postseason roster. &nbsp;Ian Cundall talked about Scott being a left-handed specialist out of the pen on the podcast, and that's exactly what he's been. Lefties are 2 for 10 so far off Scott with two singles, no walks, and three strikeouts. He has been Farrell's go-to man in a big spot with a lefty coming up. Overall, he has yet to allow a run in 5 1/3 innings.</li><li style="margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: justify;"><b>Nate Freiman</b> and <b>Cody Decker</b> of the Portland Sea Dogs and <b>Mike Meyers</b> of the Salem Red Sox are playing for team Israel in the World Baseball Classic qualifier. Israel picked up a 9-1 victory over Great Britain to qualify for the WBC for the first time. Decker helped the cause with a solo home run, and former Red Sox farmhand <b>Ryan Larvarnway</b> also homered for Israel.</li><li style="margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: justify;"><b>Carlos Asuaje</b> and <b>Manuel Margot</b>, two of the four prospects sent to the Padres for <b>Craig Kimbrel</b>, made their major league debuts together on Wednesday. Thus far, Asuaje is 2 for 13 and Margot is 4 for 13 with a double and a triple.</li></ul><ul></ul><div style="margin-bottom: 10px;"><div style="text-align: justify;">-----</div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 10px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Players of the Month (August/September)</b></div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 10px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><a href="http://www.soxprospects.com/players/dubon-mauricio.htm" target="_blank">Mauricio Dubon, SS, Portland Sea Dogs</a></b></div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 10px;"><div style="margin: 0px 0px 13px;"><a href="http://www.soxprospects.com/players/dubon-mauricio.htm" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mygdKfECtkE/V-mSDOypeNI/AAAAAAAAApQ/VOBTzQ5aeGM2U0IWuQcjMLLxzQ5apVYfACLcB/s200/20160626_3278-L.jpg" width="250" /></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Dubon ended his fantastic season on a very high note. The combination of offense, defense, and baserunning earned him SoxProspects.com’s final Player of the Month award of 2016. For August and September, he batted .366/.392/.618 with 12 doubles, two triples, five home runs, and four stolen bases in 123 at-bats. He also struck out just 10 times in that span.</span></span></div></div><div style="margin: 0px 0px 13px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Dubon was named the SoxProspects.com’s Breakout Player of the Year award and the Red Sox named him Baserunner of the Year as part of their minor league awards. Dubon was solid in 2015, hitting .288/.349/.376 in 120 games for Greenville in Salem, but he took his game to another level in 2016, especially once he reached Double-A. He played exactly 62 games each for Salem and Portland and hit .306/.387/.379 with Salem and .339/.371/.538 with Portland. He traded walks for power with the Sea Dogs, perhaps trying to utilize the Maine Monster at Hadlock Field, as he increased his fly ball rate from 22.2% with Salem to 32.2% with Portland. The 22-year-old will look to continue his success in the Arizona Fall League, which begins on October 11.</span><span style="font-family: &quot;calibri&quot;;"> </span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div></div><div style="margin: 0px 0px 13px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.soxprospects.com/players/kopech-michael.htm" target="_blank">Michael Kopech, RHP, Salem Red Sox</a></span></b></div></div><div style="margin: 0px 0px 13px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Kopech started the year on the shelf due to a broken hand, but he finished the season strong. During August and September, he threw 29 2/3 innings and posted a 2.73 ERA. During that span, he also posted a ridiculous 50 strikeouts and allowed only 11 hits. His WHIP was 0.84 and batters hit .115 against him. </span></div></div><div style="margin: 0px 0px 13px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">For the season in Salem, the flame-throwing right-hander had a 2.25 ERA in 52 innings. He gave up just 25 hits and one home run all year and posted a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 82-29. Like Dubon, Kopech will also rack up some more innings in the Arizona Fall League.</span><span style="font-family: &quot;calibri&quot;;"> </span></div></div><div style="margin: 0px 0px 13px;"></div></div><ul></ul><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>Photo Credit: Jason Groome by Bill Parmeter</i> <i>and Mauricio Dubon by Kelly O'Connor</i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></div><ul></ul>Nick Rabascohttps://plus.google.com/117180698157626174422noreply@blogger.com